LI SENATORS SAY CUOMO NEEDS TO GET NEGOTIATIONS BACK ON TRACK

Senator Carl L. Marcellino, Vice-Chairman of the NYS Senate Transportation Committee and Senator Jack Martins today called on Governor Andrew Cuomo to use his considerable influence to intervene and to resolve the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) workers and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) contract dispute in order to prevent a devastating strike. The unions have been without a contract since 2010. Under federal law, LIRR workers can legally walk off the job as early as July 20.

 “Any strike, no matter its duration, would have a severe impact on the thousands of riders that depend on LIRR, service each and every day. Long Islanders would be forced to seek out alternative modes of transportation that would undoubtedly prove costly, time consuming and troublesome. The local economy would also suffer as many would cancel their daily plans just to avoid the inconvenience. Governor Cuomo needs to help broker a deal before a strike, not after.” said Senator Carl L. Marcellino.  

  In April, Governor Cuomo demonstrated leadership in bringing the sides together to resolve the 27 month contract dispute between the MTA and the Transit Workers Union. Long Island needs him to step in, broker a settlement and advert an imminent strike.

"Over 300,000 Long Island commuters and their families deserve answers.  With the MTA and the unions unable to come to terms and a strike looming right around the corner, commuters will be stranded with devastating consequences to residents, workers, and New York's economy.  The Governor, as the state's Chief Executive, needs to do everything he can to bring both parties together to resolve their differences at a negotiating table in good faith, not on a picket line.  He's done it before, and must do it again for North America's busiest commuter railroad, before there's a crippling labor strike that will throw Long Island into chaos. We Long Islanders deserve nothing less," said Senator Martins.

The LIRR serves 124 stations in Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan, providing service for over 80 million customers each year. Every weekday approximately 301,000 customers ride the 735 daily trains.

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