LIRR Strike Talks Resume Thu May 14 — 36 Hours from Sat 12:01am Walkout; Fourth-Year Wage Gap (5% Union vs ~3% MTA) Remains Sole Sticking Point as MTA Drops Work-Rule Demands

Summary

After Wednesday's session ended without a deal, MTA and the five LIRR unions (3,500 workers) return to the table Thursday morning roughly 36 hours from a 12:01am Saturday May 16 walkout. Both sides have agreed to the first three years of a four-year contract; the fight is the fourth year — unions want 5% to match cost of living, MTA has offered ~3% (and pulled their original 4.5% offer when unions rejected the work-rule concessions tied to it). Hochul publicly committed to helping prevent a strike. 300K+ daily riders at stake. Mamdani has not formally weighed in but allies note FIFA World Cup logistics start mid-June.

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