MTA claims large rate hikes would be required to meet LIRR worker demands

Paying Long Island Rail Road workers the raises they're demanding to avoid a strike could lead to service cuts, job reductions, or fare hikes as high as 8% — twice the usual rate, MTA officials said yesterday.But LIRR labor leaders, who met with Metropolitan Transportation Authority managers for an impromptu bargaining session Wednesday, blasted the figure as baseless, and maintained the MTA can afford to pay workers a fair wage without digging deeper into riders' pockets to pay for it.MTA officials also released new details of their strike contingency plan, which now includes shuttle buses serving five Long Island locations.Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that the MTA and five labor organizations representing roughly half of all LIRR union workers are locked in a contract dispute that could result in the first railroad work stoppage in more than 30 years beginning on Saturday May 16. The two sides have agreed on the terms of the first three years of a deal, with raises totaling 9.5%, as has already been accepted by most MTA unions.The LIRR unions still holding out want a fourth year at 5%. The MTA has offered between 3% and 4.5%, depending on contract concessions.Paying Long Island Rail Road workers the raises they demand in order to prevent a strike next month could lead the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to hike fares by 8% in 2027, cut jobs, or slash service, officials said.Ahead of a potential May 16 LIRR work stoppage, officials released new details of a strike contingency plan, including rush hour shuttle buses running between five locations on Long Island and two Queens subway stations.An impromptu negotiating session between LIRR labor leaders and MTA managers yesterday ended with no settlement, but with plans for further talks.Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that MTA officials recently laid out what they said were the potential consequences of acquiescing to the demands of the five unions, which represent locomotive engineers, electricians, machinists, signal workers, and ticket clerks. Because, other unions — including those representing more than 40,000 city bus and subway workers — would expect the same terms as those given to the 3,400 LIRR workers in the contract dispute, transit officials said giving in to them would cost the MTA an extra $200 million a year. MTA Chief Financial Officer Jai Patel said, "The entire MTA, and not just the Long Island Rail Road, has to pay for this somehow.”Kevin Sexton, national vice president of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, and a spokesman for the coalition of five unions, called the threat of an 8% fare hike "absolute, unadulterated, shameless fear mongering."Sexton said the MTA's figures are "not based in fact" and are disputed by federal mediators who have reviewed MTA's finances.Members of the five unions threatening to strike made on average $122,443 in 2024, the latest year available, according to a Newsday analysis of payroll data.With the May 16 deadline drawing nearer, MTA officials yesterday began warning riders directly of a potential railroad shutdown, including through a new website, mta.info/lirrstrike, which includes information about a plan to help commuters get to work and back without trains running.***Two Southampton High School juniors are helping bridge the gap between the classroom and the workplace by playing a key role in launching a new Business Advisory Council aimed at expanding career opportunities for students.Working alongside Director of Counseling Martha Tuthill, student ambassadors Cameron Kieffer and Jack D’Italia have helped establish the initiative, which focuses on strengthening connections between the Southampton School district and the local business community.As reported on 27east.com, since the start of the school year, the council has hosted two meetings with more than 20 local business leaders, working to increase student access to career information, internships and job opportunities while enhancing career education programs.Ms. Tuthill said the initiative is just beginning. “The council can only grow from here, and the plan is to build upon it every year,” she said.Looking ahead, the students are working to launch a business club in fall 2026 to further expand opportunities for their peers.Local business leaders interested in participating can contact Tuthill at [email protected]***Almost everyone in Sag Harbor — from village government leaders to the heads of community nonprofits and advocacy groups, small-business owners and landlords, and more — agree that the village is at a tipping point, similar to the identity crisis it experienced around 2008, when the specter of CVS arriving in Sag Harbor led to code changes to protect the village’s character. Cailin Riley reports on 27east.com that there’s a sense of urgency, bordering on panic at times, and a feeling that immediate steps must be taken to ensure that the Village of Sag Harbor doesn’t succumb to the same fate as its neighbors to the east and west, East Hampton Village and Southampton Village, where the downtown becomes a ghost town during the months outside of Memorial Day to Labor Day weekend. The re-opened and restored Southampton Playhouse has enlivened Hill Street in Southampton.What can and should be done to help ensure Sag Harbor can continue to lay claim to its longtime moniker as the “Un-Hampton,” is a debatable topic in the village. Nowadays one might rightfully refer to Sag Harbor as SAG-HAMPTON.With Target set to open in Bridgehampton this fall, the problem gets bigger. A not much longer drive to an area with free and abundant parking becomes an almost irresistible option for local shoppers.Bob Weinstein is the co-president of Save Sag Harbor. He spoke about the irony of the situation the village now finds itself in, nearly two decades after the rise of Save Sag Harbor as an organization.“I sort of joke that Save Sag Harbor, which has been at the forefront of protecting the scale and authenticity and charm of the village, maybe we’ve been too successful,” he said. “What used to be the un-Hampton is now so desirable, but all the things that make us so desirable could be lost so easily if the village goes from being Sag Harbor to Sag Tropez.“If everyone doesn’t come together, the things that we love will be lost, due to its popularity, and then the popularity will also be lost,” he added.Weinstein is a big believer in the value of shopping locally. “I sound like an old hippie saying this, but there’s power in the people,” he said.***New York Governor Gov. Kathy Hochul is seeking to pass a bill that would require the drivers of “super-speeder” vehicles to install speed-limiting devices. Its fate is tied to state budget negotiations with the Legislature, which has so far failed to pass the measure. (The NYS Legislative 2026-27 budget is now a month overdue.)Stefanos Chen reports in THE NY TIMES that a driver must be caught on camera speeding 16 or more times in a single year — or more than once a month — to qualify as a super-speeder. In New York City, that designation currently includes about 14,600 vehicles.The device, known as Intelligent Speed Assistance, is a small box affixed to the dashboard that uses GPS to identify the speed limit — 25 m.p.h. or less on most local streets, and higher on highways — and caps the driver slightly above it. The driver may temporarily override the device, in certain circumstances, with the tap of a button.Proponents say the program could lead to a big improvement in street safety, where other interventions have failed. Critics argue that the technology is invasive and could endanger drivers if it malfunctions or if they need to speed up suddenly, though similar devices have been used successfully elsewhere.“Suspending the license doesn’t do anything,” said Emily Gallagher, a state assemblywoman representing parts of Brooklyn, who backs the super-speeder bill.Many repeat offenders will continue to drive, she said, so the aim should be to limit the harm they can cause.***Riverhead Rotary’s 30th annual East End Garden Festival runs May 3 to May 10 at Tanger Outlets in Riverhead.The event which starts this coming Sunday features a giant plant sale, with proceeds benefiting Riverhead Rotary Charities, Operation International and Peconic Bay Medical Center.A raffle will also be held with a top prize of $10,000, second prize of $3,000, third prize of $1,000 and two additional prizes of $500. Raffle tickets cost $100 each, and sales are limited to 300 tickets. Winning tickets will be drawn Wednesday, May 27, 2026. If fewer than 300 tickets are sold, prizes will be proportionate to the number of tickets sold. Winners do not need to be present to win.***The Town of Southampton will be paid $850,000 by the organizers of the U.S. Open Golf Championship for police and other expenses incurred during this year’s tournament in Shinnecock Hills. Alek Lewis reports in NEWSDAY that the payment will reimburse the estimated cost of town police, traffic control, safety enforcement officers and other town staff during the event, said Ryan Murphy, Southampton’s public safety and emergency management administrator.“It's a considerable amount of resources that go into it,” Murphy told Newsday yesterday. “The town provides a rather large police presence for the event ... as well as the traffic and making sure that things flow through the area.”The Southampton Town board approved a "consideration agreement" between the town and the U.S. Golf Association, which runs the tournament, at its...