New York Rail Strike Causes Rush-Hour Chaos as Talks Resume

A strike on New York’s busiest commuter rail system brought travel chaos to thousands of passengers during Monday morning rush hour, as union representatives and transportation officials returned to negotiations.

At Penn Station, where roughly 600,000 people typically pass through each day, the terminal was unusually quiet as commuters scrambled for alternative routes.

“There are no trains,” said Brooklyn resident Mekan Esenov, who was trying to reach a Long Island airport. “We looked at Uber, but it’s like $250.”

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is offering free shuttle buses on select routes but warned of “severe congestion and delays.”

The walkout is expected to disrupt service for approximately 250,000 weekday riders who use trains serving New York’s eastern suburbs and Long Island’s coastal communities from the Hamptons to Montauk.

Unions representing about 3,500 Long Island Rail Road workers launched the strike Saturday after failing to reach an agreement with management over pay and work rules.

Negotiations with the MTA resumed Sunday and Monday after New York Governor Kathy Hochul urged both sides to return to the table.

A federal labor agency intervened Sunday to help restart bargaining, marking the first LIRR strike in more than 30 years.

The unions say they are seeking improved wages and working conditions after years without pay increases.

In Midtown Manhattan, LIRR union workers gathered Monday morning to protest, marching in a circle and demanding fair wages, a fair contract, and “dignity.”

A union representative from the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, who led picketers in a chant at the Jamaica, Queens LIRR station, told the BBC he and other members would rather be working.

“We’re hardworking men and women,” said Olivier Desinor. “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.”

Unions are asking for a 5% wage increase for the next contract year, starting in June.

The MTA offered a 3% raise with options that could increase it to 4.5%, according to CBS News, the BBC’s U.S. partner.

On Sunday, Hochul defended the transportation authority, saying New York is a “pro-labour state.”

“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.