Unions representing the majority of Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) workers and MTA leadership walked away from contract talks on Thursday with opposite takes on the progress ofcontract negotiations,a little over a week before the date labor leaders threatened to go on strike.

On one side, leaders of the coalition of five unions, representing 3,500 LIRR workers, said on Friday that talks are at a standstill after a meeting with MTA brass on May 7 went nowhere.Union reps said that at the May 7 meeting at LIRR headquarters in Jamaica, Queens, MTA officials offered them “one-time lump sum payments and other gimmicks,” rather than the annual raises they are seeking.“What was presented did not move us closer to a settlement,” Jeff Klein, general chairman of IBEW Local 589, said in a statement. “Every day, as a result of MTA’s phony surface bargaining, we move closer to the May 16 strike date.”The next sit-down with MTA honchos is scheduled for Monday, May 11, they said — just four days before they have threatened to walk off the job on Saturday, May 16. The coalition has planned a rally at the Massapequa LIRR Station for 10 a.m. this Saturday, May 9.MTA chair says LIRR unions would be ‘crazy’ to strikeMTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber, during an unrelated news conference, said he believes “progress has been made” following Thursday’s meeting. At the same time, he emphasized that a strike would be “crazy.”Photo by Lloyd MitchellHowever, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber, during an unrelated news conference, said he believes “progress has been made” following Thursday’s meeting.CloseGet amNY in your inbox!News, events, culture and more — delivered to you.Thank you for subscribing!At the same time, he emphasized that a strike would be “crazy.” He said the action would essentially cancel out the raises workers are fighting for due to the amount they would lose in wages for each day off the job.“It’s their turn to come back and respond to the new proposals that have been put on the table,” Lieber said of the unions. “It’s time for everybody to get serious about the fact that if you go on strike for one day, you are literally flushing money down the toilet for your workers…A couple of days’ pay wipes out the value of what people are debating and negotiating about.”The transit boss also bristled at the union reps’ characterization of the agency’s bargaining position, but did not outright dispute it.“They can call it anything they want, but we put money on the table, that’s money in the pockets of the families that they represent,” Lieber fumed. “They should stick up for those families and be honest that there’s money available and it’s been proposed.”Agreeing to raises, disagreeing on the termsThe two sides have agreed to retroactive 9.5% raises between 2023 and 2025, but they are at odds over increases for this year. The unions want a 5% bump for 2026 because, they say, it would help workers keep up with skyrocketing costs; the MTA, however, has only offered 3% increases.During the MTA board’s latest meeting last week, MTA Chief Financial Officer Jai Patel said the agency is willing to give workers a 4.5% raise this year if the unions agree to a slew of work-rule changes. Without those alterations, she said, the raises that unions are asking for would cost the agency hundreds of millions of dollars more than it budgeted for — an expense that could trigger fare hikes and service cuts.However, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) Vice President Kevin Sexton reiterated in a statement that the unions will not agree to a contract that includes concessions. He claimed that the MTA can afford to give workers the increases they are seeking“Our members are very frustrated: they have gone years without a raise, and they want the trains to keep moving,” Sexton said. “But they won’t agree to a concessionary contract when the cost-of-living on Long Island has dramatically increased, and the MTA has a strong balance sheet due toCongestion Pricing, expanded LIRR service, and other sources of revenue, Labor merely wants a close to break-even contract.”The two sides only resumed talks last week after several union reps showed up to the MTA board meeting and accused agency brass of refusing to come to the table. Shaun O’Connor, general chairman for IAM District 19, accused the MTA of dragging its feet with just days until a possible strike.“We’re running out of time here,” O’Connor said. “MTA is still showing a lack of urgency. We practically had to drag them back to the bargaining table this week.”

Union reps said that at the May 7 meeting at LIRR headquarters in Jamaica, Queens, MTA officials offered them “one-time lump sum payments and other gimmicks,” rather than the annual raises they are seeking.

“What was presented did not move us closer to a settlement,” Jeff Klein, general chairman of IBEW Local 589, said in a statement. “Every day, as a result of MTA’s phony surface bargaining, we move closer to the May 16 strike date.”

The next sit-down with MTA honchos is scheduled for Monday, May 11, they said — just four days before they have threatened to walk off the job on Saturday, May 16. The coalition has planned a rally at the Massapequa LIRR Station for 10 a.m. this Saturday, May 9.

However, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber, during an unrelated news conference, said he believes “progress has been made” following Thursday’s meeting.

At the same time, he emphasized that a strike would be “crazy.” He said the action would essentially cancel out the raises workers are fighting for due to the amount they would lose in wages for each day off the job.

“It’s their turn to come back and respond to the new proposals that have been put on the table,” Lieber said of the unions. “It’s time for everybody to get serious about the fact that if you go on strike for one day, you are literally flushing money down the toilet for your workers…A couple of days’ pay wipes out the value of what people are debating and negotiating about.”

The transit boss also bristled at the union reps’ characterization of the agency’s bargaining position, but did not outright dispute it.“They can call it anything they want, but we put money on the table, that’s money in the pockets of the families that they represent,” Lieber fumed. “They should stick up for those families and be honest that there’s money available and it’s been proposed.”Agreeing to raises, disagreeing on the termsThe two sides have agreed to retroactive 9.5% raises between 2023 and 2025, but they are at odds over increases for this year. The unions want a 5% bump for 2026 because, they say, it would help workers keep up with skyrocketing costs; the MTA, however, has only offered 3% increases.During the MTA board’s latest meeting last week, MTA Chief Financial Officer Jai Patel said the agency is willing to give workers a 4.5% raise this year if the unions agree to a slew of work-rule changes. Without those alterations, she said, the raises that unions are asking for would cost the agency hundreds of millions of dollars more than it budgeted for — an expense that could trigger fare hikes and service cuts.However, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) Vice President Kevin Sexton reiterated in a statement that the unions will not agree to a contract that includes concessions. He claimed that the MTA can afford to give workers the increases they are seeking“Our members are very frustrated: they have gone years without a raise, and they want the trains to keep moving,” Sexton said. “But they won’t agree to a concessionary contract when the cost-of-living on Long Island has dramatically increased, and the MTA has a strong balance sheet due toCongestion Pricing, expanded LIRR service, and other sources of revenue, Labor merely wants a close to break-even contract.”The two sides only resumed talks last week after several union reps showed up to the MTA board meeting and accused agency brass of refusing to come to the table. Shaun O’Connor, general chairman for IAM District 19, accused the MTA of dragging its feet with just days until a possible strike.“We’re running out of time here,” O’Connor said. “MTA is still showing a lack of urgency. We practically had to drag them back to the bargaining table this week.”

“They can call it anything they want, but we put money on the table, that’s money in the pockets of the families that they represent,” Lieber fumed. “They should stick up for those families and be honest that there’s money available and it’s been proposed.”

Source: LI Press