MTA Forces LIRR Strike by Refusing Fair Wages for Railroad Workers
At 12:01 a.m., members of the LIRR bargaining coalition were forced onto the picket line after the MTA failed to settle a fair contract.
NEW YORK, NY, May 16, 2026, 12:01 a.m. –Today, members of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen and the LIRR bargaining coalition were forced to strike after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) failed to offer a fair contract that recognizes the wages earned by the railroaders who keep the system running.
The coalition includes the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS), the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), and the Transportation Communications Union (TCU). Together, these unions represent approximately 3,500 LIRR workers and the majority of the railroad’s unionized workforce.
For more than three years, these railroaders have worked without a wage increase. They followed the law. They respected the process. They presented their case through two Presidential Emergency Boards. Two independent expert boards found the coalition’s wage demands more reasonable. Still, the MTA and LIRR refused to offer a contract that keeps up with the cost of living in New York.
“This strike did not have to happen,” said BRS General Chairman Michael Sullivan. “The men and women represented by this coalition followed every step of the legal process and prevailed before two independent expert boards. The MTA had every opportunity to settle this dispute fairly. Instead, it chose delay, theatrics, and disrespect for the workers who keep the Long Island Rail Road moving.” Sullivan served notice to the MTA of what he described as its “dereliction of duty” in failing to negotiate a fair agreement.
Rather than close the remaining wage gap, the MTA chose to disrupt commuters, spend money on strike contingency plans, and lose revenue from interrupted service. That decision belongs to management.
“Do not blame the workers for a strike caused by management’s refusal to bargain responsibly,” Sullivan said. “Our members are not asking for luxury. They are asking for fair wages after more than three years without an increase, in one of the most expensive regions in the country. If the MTA and LIRR have the means to pay a fair contract, and they do not dispute that they do, then their refusal to settle is a choice. If they had treated these workers with the respect they deserved, trains would be running today.”
BRS Vice President Tim Tarrant said the coalition’s position has remained consistent.
“It is time for the MTA and Long Island Rail Road to stop messing around and offer our members a contract that keeps up with the cost of living in New York,” Tarrant said. “These members have earned it, they deserve it, and we will not rest until it is achieved.”
The BRS rejects any attempt by the MTA to shift blame onto the workers. The members of this coalition did not create this crisis. They did not stall these negotiations. They did not walk away from the responsibility to settle a fair agreement. The MTA did.
For months, management has relied on delay tactics, gimmicks, fearmongering, and public relation spins instead of serious bargaining. Even in the final hours before the strike deadline, the coalition remained prepared to reach a settlement. The MTA failed to meet the moment.
“The resolve of this coalition is strong,” Sullivan said. “BRS stands shoulder to shoulder with BLET, IAM, IBEW, and TCU. We acted as one at the bargaining table, and now we stand as one on the picket line. The MTA can still end this strike by doing what it should have done already: offer a fair contract.”
The BRS remains ready to settle this dispute. But until the MTA recognizes the value of the workers who keep the LIRR operating safely and reliably, BRS members will stand with the coalition in demanding the fair wages they have earned.
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