Rush-hour chaos as LIRR strike halts trains
A major rail shutdown brought parts of New York’s morning commute to a standstill on Monday, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded as labour tensions between transport unions and city transit officials spilled into a full-scale strike.
The disruption centred on the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), one of the busiest commuter rail systems in the United States, where about 3,500 unionised workers walked off the job after negotiations over salaries and working conditions failed to produce an agreement.
By early morning, the impact was already visible across transport hubs, especially at Penn Station in Manhattan, where the usual crowds of commuters were replaced by confusion, long waits and frustrated travellers trying to improvise alternative routes.
Among them was Brooklyn resident Mekan Esenov, who had been attempting to reach an airport on Long Island after discovering rail services had completely stopped.
“There are no trains,” he said. “We looked at Uber, but it’s like $250.”
The shutdown is expected to affect roughly 250,000 weekday commuters who rely on the rail system connecting New York City to Long Island’s suburbs and coastal communities, including the Hamptons and Montauk.
To ease the pressure, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) introduced free shuttle bus services on selected routes, though officials warned commuters to expect heavy traffic congestion and major delays throughout the city.
While commuters struggled to navigate the disruption, union members gathered outside stations in parts of the city to press home their demands for better pay and improved working conditions.
In Queens, rail workers marched with placards and chants demanding what they described as fair treatment after years without meaningful wage increases.
“We’re hardworking men and women,” said Olivier Desinor of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen during a protest near the Jamaica station.
“It’s not one of the best positions we want to be in, but, thankfully, we’re together in solidarity, and we’re gonna get through this.”
Union leaders are seeking a five percent salary increase under the next contract cycle beginning in June, arguing that current compensation no longer reflects rising living costs and the demands of the job.
Transport authorities, however, say the proposal would place additional financial strain on the transit system and could eventually lead to increased fares and taxes for commuters.
The MTA reportedly proposed a three percent wage increase with performance-based adjustments that could raise the figure to 4.5 percent, but the offer was rejected.
As pressure mounted, federal labour mediators stepped in over the weekend to revive stalled negotiations, the first such rail strike on the LIRR in more than three decades.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul also appealed to both sides to continue discussions, while defending the transit authority’s position.
“We believe in working men and women receiving a fair wage and benefits, but the MTA cannot agree to a contract that would raise fares as much as 8% and risk hiking taxes for Long Islanders,” she said.
Talks between union representatives and transport officials resumed on Sunday and continued into Monday, though there was no immediate indication of a breakthrough as commuters braced for another difficult journey home.
Source: BBC
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