[title]
New Yorkers are no strangers to transit drama, but this one could be especially brutal: The Long Island Rail Road may be headed for its first strike in more than 30 years.
With five unions threatening to walk off the job, 300,000 daily riders could be left scrambling for buses, carpools and patience. Politicians are already pointing fingers, riders are bracing for impact, and the MTA is quietly sketching out backup plans. Here’s what we know right now.
What’s the current situation around the LIRR strike?
Five unions representing roughly half of LIRR’s 7,000 workers are threatening to walk out after contract talks with the MTA collapsed. Engineers, ticket clerks and other frontline staff say their wages haven’t kept pace with New York’s cost of living.
Governor Kathy Hochul blames the Trump administration for ending federal mediation too early, while MTA CEO Janno Lieber insists LIRR workers are already the highest-paid railroad employees in the nation. Riders, unsurprisingly, are caught in the middle.
When could the LIRR strike happen?
Mark Thursday, September 18, on your calendar. That’s the earliest the unions could legally strike after the federally mandated “cooling-off” period. A strike authorization vote wraps up Monday, leaving just days before trains could stop running.
The last actual strike was in 1994 and lasted only three days. In 2014, a deal was cut just hours before a planned walkout. Whether 2025 repeats history—or makes it—remains to be seen.
Why is this happening?
The unions turned down a 9.5-percent raise over three years, calling it a bad deal compared to inflation and other U.S. railroads. They want a 16-percent increase instead.
The MTA argues that engineers already average $160,000 annually with overtime and that taxpayers shouldn’t foot an even bigger bill. Riders themselves are split, with some saying the unions deserve more and others feeling the paychecks are already plenty generous.
What should commuters do?
If trains stop, chaos starts. The MTA says it will deploy shuttle buses from key stations to subway hubs in Queens, but that’s a Band-Aid on a flood.
Your best bet is to follow MTA alerts for real-time service changes, check local news for negotiations and strike updates and line up a plan B—whether it’s the subway, carpooling or biking, options will be key. Unless negotiations suddenly thaw, commuters may need to brace for the most disruptive LIRR showdown in a generation.