Down to the wire in LIRR strike negotiations

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:00]Possible Long Island Rail Road strike looms over the region. Five unions representing about half the LIRR workforce say they're ready to walk off the job just after midnight Saturday if a deal is not reached. Doug Williams live in Lower Manhattan with the latest.

[00:00:15]Doug.

[00:00:17]Cindy, we got an update a short time ago from union leadership on their way into the building for in their words D-Day negotiations today. And with this deadline fast approaching, LIRR commuters and customers have to sort of be hoping that the pressure that comes along with that is what's needed to get a deal done.

[00:00:40]Union and MTA negotiators spent roughly 12 hours at the bargaining table Thursday to no avail. And if no deal is reached in the next 12 hours, a coalition of five unions says they're prepared to walk off the job just after midnight tonight. Negotiations ended abruptly last night later late in the evening.

[00:00:59]Today is um D-Day, shall we say? So, we're heading on in there in a few minutes.

[00:01:04]And um hopefully we can reach an agreement.

[00:01:07]>> The sticking point in negotiations is pay for a fourth year. Both sides have agreed on 9 and 1/2% raises for 3 years, but the MTA offered a 4 and 1/2% lump sum payment for the current year, which the union rejected as quote a one-time gimmick. Now, hundreds of thousands of customers who rely on LIRR service are having to make contingency plans. I live in Queens, so I'm going to look at the QM buses and see what comes closest into the city and then just take a train from there. Ah, I guess not everyone could work remotely.

[00:01:41]And union leaders did say as they went inside that they do plan to keep us updated throughout the day, so we will of course bring you all the latest details as soon as we learn them. For now, we're live here in Lower Manhattan.

[00:01:52]Doug Williams, CBS News New York. Doug, thank you. And stay with CBS News New York [music] as we prepare for a possible LIRR strike. For a complete look at the contingency plans, go to [music] our website at cbsnewyork.com.