Long Island commuters and LIRR getting back on track after strike ends

"All aboard!" an announcer said over the PA system about noon Tuesday as the Ronkonkoma-bound Long Island Rail Road train prepared to depart from Penn Station.

And with that, 3½-day LIRR union strike, which forced hundreds of thousands of commuters to alter their daily commute, boarding sparsely utilized shuttle buses or enduring jam-packed highways to trek extra hours into work or school, came to an official end Tuesday.

The strike, which lasted 84 hours — spanning a weekend, a full workday and a second morning commute — was the first to hobble the nation's largest commuter rail system in 32 years.

The work stoppage, which was resolved late Monday after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the five LIRR unions, representing about half the railroad's 7,000-member workforce, reached a new contract, left many commuters frustrated and exhausted.

But after three-plus days of chaos and tribulations, resilient Long Island commuters were just glad to see a return to near normalcy.

"I'm glad to be on the train; glad that the strike is over," said Ted Lyons, 68, of Huntington, before taking a train from Huntington to Penn Station to visit a new grandson in Hoboken, New Jersey.

"I'm glad we can get into the city rather than driving," Lyons added. "We need the trains."

'Palatable' agreement

The agreement provides striking unions, which had last seen a pay increase in 2022, retroactive wage increases of 3% for both 2023 and 2024; 3.5% in 2025; and 4.5% in 2026, according to messages circulated by union leaders to their members.

Pointing to high cost of living, the unions initially pushed for raises of 6.5% this year, but had come down to 5%.

The MTA, which argued that the striking LIRR workers are already the highest-paid railroad workers in the nation, countered with lower amounts while also asking new hires to contribute more than the current 2% for their healthcare. They argued that the 5% raises sought by the LIRR unions could have forced tax increases, service cuts, layoffs or fare hikes. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday said the agreement would not lead to a tax hike or a fare increase.

At a news conference Tuesday in Jamaica, LIRR president Rob Free declined to discuss the details of the deal but said there are elements of the agreement "which make it more affordable; make it more palatable for the unions to agree upon and make it easier for us to fit within our financial structure."

The unions agreed to some concessions, labor officials said, including extending the contract by six weeks — meaning potential raises in a future contract would be delayed — and agreeing to undergo up to 16 hours of computer-based training each year outside of work hours, with the use of their personal electronic devices. 

In a Facebook post, Michael Sullivan, general chairman of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, said "our members stood strong throughout this process, and that solidarity made the difference."

'Disruptive' strike

Ultimately, however, some Long Islanders were left feeling the strike was unnecessary.

Lori Colon, 58, of Port Jefferson Station, and her sister, Donna Cooley, 62, of Sayville, said the MTA should have agreed to a deal Sunday to prevent the strike from bleeding into the workweek.

"Give them what they're worth, give them their pay. Period," Colon said as she and Cooley waited at the Ronkonkoma station for the 12:18 p.m. train to Penn Station. "End of story. Everyone needs a raise."

But Bill Axmacher, 65, of East Northport, isn’t a fan of the LIRR unions, arguing that workers have "a golden ticket" with their contract.

"It was a big inconvenience," Axmacher said at Penn Station of the strike.

Others said there was plenty of blame to go around.

"It was disruptive," said Melissa Kamper, who grew up in East Meadow and now lives in Buffalo, as she waited early Tuesday at the Hicksville station for a shuttle bus. "But I guess that’s good. Disruption works."

Nearby, Diego Alvarez, 41, of Seaford, said he was grateful for the settlement but conceded the entire ordeal has "been a headache" that added about 90 minutes to his daily commute.

"We didn’t want this," Alvarez said. "We’re already paying so much for the train."

An 'inconvenient' morning

Even with the two sides reaching an agreement Monday night, Tuesday morning's commute resembled the day prior — with trains sitting idle because of federally mandated inspections of equipment and the need to position trains and workers in the right locations, Free said.

For those commuters forced to wait for shuttles to Manhattan or who ventured onto highways, only to see their westbound commutes double or triple in duration, it may have felt like a case of déjà vu.

"The shuttle is very inconvenient," said Jay Rivas, 19, of Brentwood, who took the second-to-last bus from Ronkonkoma on Tuesday to his job as a swim instructor in Brooklyn.

Joe Boko, 41, of Centereach, who rode a 6:38 a.m. shuttle from Ronkonkoma to his job as a chef in Manhattan, expressed frustration at the strike lasting three days.

"Kind of disappointed; it's grown adults that can't talk things out," Boko said. 

The shuttle buses, running from six locations, did not have as many riders as expected, Free said, with just 3,056 on Tuesday morning — an uptick from the day before.

The daily cost of the buses was between $325,000 and $550,000, according to Jai Patel, the MTA's chief financial officer, who said last month that an exact cost would depend on the number of buses deployed. The buses are free for riders and the costs come from the MTA budget.

On Monday, Juan Perazo had a three-hour commute to his job as a server at Grand Central Oyster Bar. Perazo didn’t want a repeat Tuesday morning so he drove from his home in Westbury to catch a shuttle bus at the Hicksville station.

But Perazo didn’t realize shuttle service ended at 9 a.m. and arrived 25 minutes late. Instead, he boarded a NICE bus to the Jamaica station to catch a subway, grateful that "there will be trains tonight."

The restoration of service came a bit late for Steika Artciste, 23, of Ronkonkoma.

The United Airways flight attendant, who works out of Newark Liberty International Airport, said she spent more than $900 in ride share app fares to get to work the past three days.

Tracy Ann Anderson, 55, a social worker from Brentwood who works in Queens, said that after a two-hour morning bus ride made her an hour late to work Tuesday, she was eager to return to normal commuting life.

"Oh, my goodness, I am," she told Newsday.

Service resumes

The first trains began running around noon on the electrified branches: Babylon, Huntington, Port Washington and Ronkonkoma, with all other lines picking up a normal schedule by 4 p.m. for the evening commute. As the first trains departed, some passengers and even an MTA police supervisor, took photos to mark the occasion.

"It's nice to rely on the railroad again, as long it is going to last," said Jay Lano, 65, of Northport, as he waited for the first Huntington train into Penn Station. "It's generally reliable, but you never know when something else is going to disrupt service."

Suzanne Sharp, formerly of Seaford and now living in Queens, was thrilled to hear the strike had ended.

"I was so glad to see the ticket man in Patchogue," Sharp said as she waited at the Bay Shore station for the 3:58 p.m. westbound train.

The LIRR strike couldn't have come at a worse time for Giovanny Delgado, 21, of Wyandanch — the week of his final exams at Suffolk County Community College's Selden campus.

His typical commute usually lasts about 30 minutes but was extended to almost two hours on Monday.

"My earliest class was at 7:30 a.m., so leaving at almost 5 a.m. is crazy," he said.

The Knicks conspiracy

Some passengers Tuesday rued the money lost and the hours they'd never recover as they recounted tales of the previous days' commuting adventures.

"I must have spent $60 on taxis because there was no trains," Pedro Francia, of Hicksville, said as he described his Monday trip to Farmingville, where he is a cook.

But Sunday was worse. That cost him $70.

"I tried to take the bus and the bus never come," he said.

Barely three hours after train service resumed, Hicksville's LIRR station had an all-too-familiar feel.

A few dozen passengers stared at train schedules, punched keys at ticket kiosks and waited on platforms.

The familiar squeal of railroad brakes sounded as trains arrived.

Automated announcements blared from loudspeakers.

Giancarlo Cornejo, who was waiting for a westbound train with his 8-year-old daughter, had a theory about the timing of the strike's end — pinning the deal on Tuesday night's highly anticipated first game of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden between the hometown Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Not that the Queens resident is inclined toward conspiracy theories.

"If it wasn't for the Knicks being back on ..." Cornejo said. "That has something to do with it."