LIRR strike looms as deadline nears — emergency intervention still possible
Both sides remain at a standstill, but there is still a narrow path to prevent a walkout. The unions, the MTA or Gov. Kathy Hochul could request the creation of a Presidential Emergency Board (PEB).
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With less than a week until a potential Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) strike, no agreement has been reached between labor unions and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) — leaving riders and officials bracing for major disruptions.
Both sides remain at a standstill, but there is still a narrow path to prevent a walkout. The unions, the MTA or Gov. Kathy Hochul could request the creation of a Presidential Emergency Board (PEB).
That move would delay any strike for several months while negotiations continue under federal mediation.
So far, no one has taken that step.
A PEB must be convened by the White House and is often used as a last-ditch effort in national rail disputes. However, neither the unions nor the MTA has indicated any intention to make that request — and the governor has avoided directly addressing whether she’ll do so.
Earlier this week, Gov. Hochul deflected when asked if she would seek White House intervention, instead criticizing former President Donald Trump’s administration for what she described as mishandling the negotiation framework that led to the current impasse.
“The White House already intervened and they screwed us in the process,” Hochul said. “They never should have given license to stop the negotiations. They never should have shut it down and given authority to strike.”
The unions were officially released from federal mediation by the National Mediation Board, clearing the way for a legal strike starting Wednesday, Sept. 18.
A spokesperson for the unions said they are not planning to request a PEB, calling such a move a delay tactic rather than a solution.
As of Friday, the MTA also had not indicated any plans to seek presidential intervention. News 12 reached out to the White House for comment but has not yet received a response.
If no emergency board is called and no agreement is reached before the deadline, hundreds of thousands of commuters could be affected by a full shutdown of LIRR service starting Thursday of next week.
