NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� New York Gov. Kathy Hochul pleaded with unions representing workers for the Long Island Rail Road, North America鈥檚 largest commuter rail system, to resume bargaining Sunday, saying a long strike hurts workers and hundreds of thousands of commuters.
鈥淭his is my official invitation. We didn鈥檛 want you to leave. You left. You鈥檙e welcome to come back. I鈥檒l provide refreshments, whatever you like. Just c鈥檓on back,鈥� Hochul told a news conference as the strike 鈥� the first in three decades 鈥� entered its second day.
Hochul, appearing with the chief executive of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority that runs the railroad more commonly known by commuters as the 鈥淟IRR,鈥� pleaded with the unions to try to reach a deal before Monday’s morning commute.
鈥淲e all know that the railroad is the lifeblood of Long Island. Without it, life as we know it is simply not possible. The bottom line is, no one wins in a strike. Everyone is hurt,鈥� she said.
The LIRR serves hundreds of thousands of commuters who live along a 118-mile-long and up to 23-mile-wide land mass that includes Brooklyn and Queens in New York City and the Hamptons, a summertime playground for the rich and famous near its eastern tip. The railroad has long provided commuters relief from its rush-hour clogged highways.
Most of its riders live outside New York City in two counties populated by nearly three million people.
After the news conference, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and the Transportation Communications Union said in a statement that the union workers 鈥渁re not asking for special treatment 鈥� they are simply fighting to keep up with the skyrocketing cost of living in the New York region after years without a raise.鈥�
The railroad closed down and workers just after midnight Friday after five unions representing about half its workforce walked off the job.
The unions and the MTA have been on a new contract, with talks stalled over the question of workers’ salaries and healthcare premiums. President Donald Trump鈥檚 administration tried to broker a deal, but the unions were legally allowed to strike starting at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
At her news conference, Hochul said workers would lose every dollar that they would gain with a new contract by remaining on strike for three days.
Kevin Sexton, national vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, has said no new negotiations have been scheduled.
鈥淲e鈥檙e far apart at this point,鈥� Sexton said Saturday. 鈥淲e are truly sorry that we are in this situation.鈥�
At Hochul’s news conference, MTA Chairman Janno Lieber said the unions’ proposals would 鈥渂low up the MTA鈥檚 budget鈥� but he joined the governor’s request for the unions to resume talks.
鈥淭hey elected to walk out. We鈥檙e more than willing to meet them halfway on wages,鈥� he said.
The impact of the walkout, the first for the LIRR since a two-day strike in 1994, fell on many sports fans who wanted to see the Yankees and Mets battle or the Knicks鈥� playoff run at Madison Square Garden, which is located directly above the railroad鈥檚 Penn Station hub in Manhattan.
Would-be commuters were greeted all weekend by train schedule departure boards that listed ghost trains marked 鈥淣o Passengers鈥� rather than upcoming trains listed by destination.
Hochul said essential workers among the roughly 250,000 weekday LIRR riders can take buses into the city from six locations on Long Island starting at 4 a.m. Monday and during an evening rush-hour commute from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Hochul, a Democrat, blamed the Trump administration for cutting mediation short and pushing the negotiations toward a strike. Trump, a Republican, responded on his Truth Social platform Saturday, saying he had nothing to do with the strike and 鈥渘ever even heard about it until this morning.鈥�
鈥淣o, Kathy, it鈥檚 your fault, and now looking over the facts, you should not have allowed this to happen,鈥� Trump said.
Hochul urged companies and agencies that employ workers from Long Island to let them work from home whenever possible.
鈥淚t鈥檚 impossible to fully replace LIRR service. So effective Monday, I鈥檓 asking that regular commuters who can work from home, should. Please do so,鈥� she said.
The MTA has said the unions鈥� initial demands to raise salaries would result in large fare increases and be disproportionate to what other unionized workers are paid.
The unions, which represent locomotive engineers, machinists, signalmen and other train workers, have said more substantial raises were warranted to help workers keep up with inflation and rising living costs.
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