New York MTA Faces ‘Epic Showdowns’ With Rail, Subway Workers

New York City’s transit agency is bracing for tense negotiations with both its subway operators and Long Island Rail Road workers, setting the stage for a strike later this month that would cripple the nation’s largest commuter line.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency that runs the city’s subway, bus and commuter trains, has been negotiating with LIRR unions over a wage increase that would start this year. After two failed rounds of federal mediation, there’s now a higher likelihood for a work stoppage as soon as May 16 — the same day the MTA’s contract with its nearly 40,000 subway and bus workers expires.