LIRR Strike Looms as MTA, Unions Squabble Over Cash Payments

Talks between New York City’s transit system and Long Island Rail Road workers have hit a snag over disagreements on cash payments versus wage increases, as the nation’s biggest commuter rail faces a potential shutdown as soon as Saturday.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the city’s transit network, and five LIRR unions have been negotiating for months with a federal mediation board on salary increases but have yet to reach a deal. The union will be free to strike after Friday, when a “cooling off period” is slated to run out.