Long Island Rail Road workers go on strike, halting busiest US commuter
rail system
[May 16, 2026] By
PHILIP MARCELO
NEW YORK (AP) — Workers on New York’s Long Island Rail Road are on
strike, union officials said early Saturday, paralyzing the busiest
commuter rail system in North America.
Labor unions representing about half the system’s workers announced the
walkout after negotiations with the Metropolitan Transportation
Authority ended Friday without a new contract. The five unions, which
represent about half the system’s 7,000 workers, including locomotive
engineers, machinists and signalmen, weren't legally allowed to go on
strike until 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
Kevin Sexton of the National Vice President of the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen said no new negotiations have been
scheduled.
“We’re far apart at this point," Sexton said. “We are truly sorry that
we are in this situation.”
Janno Lieber, the MTA chairman, said the agency “gave the union
everything they said they wanted in terms of pay” and that to him it was
apparent the unions always intended to walk out.
The strike will force the roughly 250,000 people who ride the system
each weekday to find alternative routes into New York City from its Long
Island suburbs or to work from home. That means more cars on
traffic-choked highways and longer work commutes.
“It’s gonna be such a nightmare trying to get in,” said Rob Udle, an
electrician who takes the LIRR at least five days a week into Manhattan.
The strike could make it challenging for some sports fans to get into
Manhattan to watch the NBA’s New York Knicks playoff run or see the
baseball rivals the New York Yankees battle the crosstown Mets this
weekend.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has urged LIRR riders to work from during the walkout
as the MTA plans to provide free but limited shuttle buses during the
work day rush hours geared toward essential workers.
In a statement she blamed the strike on union leadership.
“Commuters are dealing with unnecessary dysfunction and thousands of
union LIRR workers are being forced to go without a paycheck because of
decisions made by a small group of union leaders," Hochul said. "I stand
with LIRR riders and will fight to preserve the long term stability of
the MTA.”
Dispute over wages
Both sides said the fight was over wage increases and health care
premiums.
Details on exactly where each side stood late Friday weren't released,
but the union had gone into the talks demanding a total raise of 16%
over four years, saying it was needed to help workers keep up with
inflation.
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A sign warns commuters of a potential Long Island Rail Road strike
at Penn Station in New York, Thursday, May 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth
Wenig)
 The MTA has argued that the union’s
initial demands would lead to fare increases. Lieber said that while
the MTA had met the pay demands, it had asked for new hires to the
LIRR to pay higher health care premiums to offset some costs. The
union rejected that idea.
Commuters brace for the worst
Susanne Alberto, a personal trainer from Long Island, said she has
already made plans with her Manhattan clients to hold virtual
sessions in the event of a shutdown.
She said the union likely has the upper hand.
“The MTA is going to cave, and they know that,” Alberto said. “Why
don’t they just do it now instead of waiting until virtually
millions of people get inconvenienced?”
Udle, the electrician, said he will likely use his vacation days
rather than navigate the “nightmare” of commuting into Manhattan if
the rail service shuts down.
A union member, he sympathized with the unions’ affordability
concerns, but he said he didn’t agree with their strong-arm tactics.
“I get it, the cost of living is going up and stuff like that,” Udle
said while waiting at Penn Station for a train home. “But they
shouldn’t hold everybody hostage to do it. There’s a better way.
You’re affecting a lot of other people."
A strike was temporarily averted in September when President Donald
Trump’s administration agreed to help with negotiations. Those
efforts ended without a deal, giving both sides 60 days — ending
12:01 a.m. Saturday — to again try to resolve their differences
before the union is legally allowed to go on strike or the agency
could lock out workers.
LIRR workers last went on strike in 1994, for about two days.
Workers on the commuter rail system connecting Manhattan to New
Jersey, New Jersey Transit, went on strike last year. It lasted
three days.
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