LIRR Strike Talks Resume Wed May 13 — No Deal, Next Session Pushed to "Next Week" as Sat May 16 Deadline Closes In

May 13, 2026CBS New York | ABC7 NY | NBC New York | Gothamist Official

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Summary

Face-to-face MTA-LIRR contract talks resumed Wed May 13 but ended without a deal — the next session pushed to "next week," past the Sat May 16 strike deadline. 5 unions / 3,500 workers (engineers, signalmen, trainmen). Both sides have agreed to years 1-3 of a 4-year contract; year-4 wages remain the gap (union ask 5%, MTA offer 3% rising to 4.5% with work-rule concessions). MTA contingency: ~275 buses every 10 minutes from Hempstead Lake, Hicksville, and Mineola to JFK-Howard Beach (A); Huntington and Ronkonkoma to Jamaica-179 (F). Would be the LIRR's first strike in more than 30 years. Mamdani administration silent so far — strike-day politics could land squarely on the new mayor while Albany holds the MTA's purse strings.

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