New York Risks LIRR Engineers’ Strike Next Week Amid Pay Spat

New York’s Long Island Rail Road, the biggest commuter line in the US, is facing a potential strike next week as locomotive engineers currently vote on whether to authorize a work stoppage — and Governor Kathy Hochul is blaming President Donald Trump for the growing crisis.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, which represents about 600 workers at the LIRR, have rejected a proposed 9.5% pay increase, according to John J. McCarthy, chief of policy and external relations at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the LIRR. The 9.5% raise would occur over three years, similar to agreements with its subway and bus workers.