North America’s largest commuter rail system has shut down after unionized workers went on strike. The Long Island Rail Road in New York ceased operations early Saturday morning as five unions representing about half its workforce walked off the job. The two sides have been negotiating for months on a new contract. But the unions were legally allowed to strike starting at 12:01 a.m. The MTA has said it would provide limited shuttle buses to New York City subway stations in the event of a strike. Gov. Kathy Hochul urged Long Islanders to work from home if possible.
Workers on New York’s Long Island Rail Road are on strike, paralyzing the busiest commuter rail system in North America. Labor unions representing about half the system’s workers announced the walkout early Saturday after negotiations with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority failed to produce a new contract. The five unions represent about half the system’s 7,000 workers, including locomotive engineers, machinists and signalmen. They are legally allowed to go on strike at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. The strike will force the roughly 250,000 people who ride the system each weekday to either work from home or find alternative routes into New York City from its Long Island suburbs. That means more cars on traffic-choked highways and longer work commutes.