LIRR union strike stretches into first work day

The first Long Island Rail Road strike since 1994 has rolled into a third day and the start of the workweek. Negotiations between MTA and union leaders are expected to resume at 7:30 this morning.As reported in NEWSDAY, Long Islanders arrived in Queens by the trickle early today, riding shuttle buses mobilized to replace LIRR trains.The shuttle bus that left Ronkonkoma at 4:05 a.m. arrived at 179th Street in Jamaica at 4:58 a.m. It carried 58 passengers, including the driver.An MTA employee stood at the bus door as passengers exited, handing out placards of the shuttle map and answering questions.The MTA said multiple customer ambassadors will be at each of the shuttle bus locations to take questions from confused commuters. They will probably be very busy.Here is the info on shuttle buses:They will run until 9 a.m. this morning from these Long Island locations to the subway stations in Queens and then back to Long Island from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.Bay Shore LIRR station to the Howard Beach-JFK Airport stop on the A train.Huntington LIRR station to the Jamaica-179th Street stop on the F train.Ronkonkoma LIRR station to the Jamaica-179th Street stop on the F train.In addition, shuttle buses will run until 9 a.m. from these three locations: Hempstead Lake State Park and the Hicksville and Mineola LIRR stations to the Howard Beach-JFK stop on the A train. But there will be no return buses in the afternoon.There is no separate charge for the bus. Tap and ride with phone, credit, debit or OMNY card and you will transfer.No substitute service is being provided east of Ronkonkoma.If you haven’t already, take a minute to bookmark mta.info/lirr strike for details or dial 511.Stefanos Chen reports in THE NY TIMES that five unions representing more than 3,500 workers — including engineers, signalmen and machinists — walked off the job shortly after midnight on Saturday, after yearslong negotiations with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency that runs the railroad, fell apart.The strike has shut down the entire service, which carries an average of more than 270,000 passengers a day between Long Island and New York City. The M.T.A. is providing free bus service which began this morning from six locations on Long Island to two subway stations in Queens, and in the opposite direction during the evening rush. Police officers and members of the L.I.R.R. work force who are not on strike are expected to help direct passengers to buses at the stops.But the M.T.A. said the shuttles would not be able to accommodate all the riders who rely on the railroad, and encouraged people to work from home if they can.Yesterday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said that she had made major investments in the M.T.A. to stabilize its finances, and that she would not agree to a deal that could force the agency to raise fares.“I worked hard to do that and don’t want that undone — I will not let that be undone,” she said.A spokesman for the unions said in a statement on Sunday that their wage proposal was reasonable and that two federal review panels had sided with them.“We remain ready to negotiate a fair agreement at any time and get back to work on behalf of Long Island commuters,” the statement said.The National Mediation Board, a federal agency that oversees such disputes, summoned both sides to a meeting last night to continue negotiations. Negotiations continued past 1 a.m. with no resolution. Talks were set to pick up again this morning at 7:30 a.m.The unions represent about 3,500 workers - roughly half the LIRR’s workforce - who have not had a raise since 2022.Both sides have agreed on retroactive raises of 3% for the first two years of the contract as well as 3.5% for the current year. But they clashed over the union’s demand for a 5% pay hike in 2026. The MTA has offered a lower amount and wants to increase the amount newly hired employees would pay for healthcare.New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told the striking workers yesterday she values their labor and believes they deserved a fair wage and benefits but that the MTA cannot agree to a contract “that would raise fares as much as 8% and risk hiking taxes for Long Islanders.”Early this morning, Matt Hollis, national president of the Transportation Communications Union, posted an update on social media saying the union “gave the MTA every opportunity to avoid this. Instead, heading into a busy workweek, MTA leadership once again demonstrated that it does not value either the riding public or in the hardworking men and women who keep this railroad moving.”***While the Long Island Rail Road made history this weekend with its first strike in over 30 years, train history buffs can learn more about the famous commuter railroad’s history tomorrow evening at 6:30 p.m. at Peconic Landing in Greenport, where Donald Fisher of the Railroad Museum of Long Island will speak as part of Peconic Landing’s America 250 lecture series.Celebrating 192 Years of Railroading on Long Island. Greenport, the Reason for the Long Island Rail Road.In 1995, with twenty-three years of audio-visual and technical theater experience, Mr. Donald Fisher joined the all-volunteer Railroad Museum of Long Island to serve as an electrician and exhibit designer. By 1998, Mr. Fisher had been appointed Assistant Site Manager for the Museum’s Greenport, Long Island campus and a major rehabilitation of the exhibit hall was underway.Since October 2008, Don Fisher has served as President of the Railroad Museum of Long Island and continues to lead the restoration process on Locomotive #39.Registration is required for Tuesday evening’s free presentation and will be strictly capped at 60 persons.Click here to register and for further info.***Agriculture is an important business in Suffolk County, the top New York producer of many ornamental plants and vegetables.Cows or hogs, not so much.So a maverick stance by Rep. Andrew Garbarino for humane livestock conditions is befuddling his local farm bureau.Billy House reports in NEWSDAY that the Bayport congressman was one of just three House Republicans out of 212 to vote against the GOP’s Farm Bill, which passed last month in a 224-200 vote. Garbarino objected to language that would overturn anti-confinement laws emerging in other states that mandate strict minimum space requirements for breeding pigs, veal calves and egg-laying hens."We were a little disappointed and somewhat puzzled," said Bill Zalakar, executive director of the Long Island Farm Bureau. He noted Garbarino’s vote was initially curious because of the bill's importance to Suffolk County, which ranks fourth out of the 62 New York counties in terms of overall agriculture production.But Congressman Garbarino has an established record on federal animal welfare policy, notably through his work with animal protection caucuses. He is co-chair of the Congressional Zoo and Aquarium Caucus, which bills itself as a conduit from zoos to Congress of "valuable expertise and resources in animal care and welfare."He also has a track record of co-sponsoring bills to improve the treatment of animals or combat wildlife trafficking. As recently as last month, he was among a handful of Republicans to persuade party leaders to postpone a planned vote on a bill that critics said would impair and overhaul the U.S. Endangered Species Act."Long Islanders believe in treating animals humanely and respecting the right of states to set standards that reflect their values," he said. "That’s why I voted ‘no.’ ”Garbarino represents New York's 2nd congressional district which stretches along the south shore of Long Island and includes parts of Suffolk County and a small portion of southeastern Nassau County. Along with threatening state-level animal welfare standards, Garbarino also said the farm bill as passed by the House raises "serious concerns about federal overreach that could impact everything from New York’s pest and disease prevention safeguards to its public health, food safety and consumer protection laws."***East End Police Departments will participate in the statewide May 2026 “Click It or Ticket”/“Buckle Up New York” campaign, beginning today through Sunday, May 31.During the two-week mobilization, officers will be conducting fixed and roving safety restraint details focused on seat belt and child restraint compliance, according to police.Under New York State law, all front-seat occupants must be properly secured regardless of age. Since Nov. 1, 2020, all rear-seat passengers — both over and under age 16 — must also be properly secured, police said.Police also remind drivers and caregivers of New York’s child passenger safety requirements, including that children up to age 4 must be properly restrained in a federally approved child safety seat, and that backseat passengers under age 2 must be restrained in a rear-facing child restraint.For more information, residents can visit www.safeny.ny.gov.***As the U.S. Open returns to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, the United States Golf Association, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Golf Association and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, is launching a wide-ranging community engagement initiative designed to deliver lasting impact across Eastern Long Island.“Bringing the U.S. Open to a community is an opportunity to create impact that extends...