A strike by Long Island Rail Road workers is “100 percent” certain unless a higher authority, such as Gov. Cuomo, helps break the impasse, a union official said after a negotiation session quickly ended in failure on Friday.
LIRR union leaders and MTA Labor Relations Director Anita Miller met in Midtown at 9 a.m. — but the labor representatives headed back out of the door some 90 minutes later.
Both sides accused the other of failing to compromise, and Miller told the labor leaders during the meeting that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority was prepared to “endure a strike,” according to Chris Natale, general chairman of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen.
Under federal law, LIRR workers can legally walk off the job as early as July 20.
No one wants a strike, but it’s imminent at this point. Unless the governor or someone in authority gets involved, I think it’s 100 percent. Someone has to step in and stop the MTA.
“No one wants a strike, but it’s imminent at this point,” Natale said. “Unless the governor or someone in authority gets involved, I think it’s 100 percent. Someone has to step in and stop the MTA.”
The MTA fired back with a statement in which it accused the union leaders of being unwilling to make concessions.
“The unions came to today’s meeting, but clearly not to negotiate,” the statement said. “The MTA has made a compromise offer that includes the 17% wage increase the unions wanted. But the unions STILL have not budged one inch, and continue to hold a strike over the heads of all Long Islanders.”
The LIRR carries approximately 130,000 riders daily. Counting round-trip riders, that figure doubles to approximately 260,000, the MTA said. MTA Chairman Tom Prendergast has said the authority is working to secure a fleet of buses in the event of a strike, but that it would not be able to provide bus transportation for all daily LIRR riders.
A coalition of LIRR unions has been without a contract since 2010. The MTA initially demanded a wage freeze unless a pay increase were accompanied by work-rule changes to cover the resulting cost. MTA officials said the work-rule changes would produce savings by increasing productivity and efficiency.
Having moved off that demand, the MTA then offered 11% raises over six years, plus work-rule changes.
Two emergency mediation boards appointed by President Obama heard testimony from both sides on issues like wages paid by other railroads and the cost of living in the New York City area. The independent panels both recommended the LIRR offer 17% raises over six years without work-rule changes. Under their recommendations, workers would for the first time have to pay about 2% of their earnings toward health care costs.
The MTA’s latest offer, publicized earlier this week and presented to the unions on Friday, is for 17% over seven years. Newly hired workers would pay more toward health care and pensions than the board recommended, and would have to be on the job for longer than existing regulations for current workers before they are able to reach top pay rates. Under the MTA’s offer, current employees would pay 2% of annual pay for health care, and newly hired employees would contribute 4%. Future workers also would pay more toward their pensions than current employees.
The unions fear that the different contribution levels for current and future workers will divide membership over time.
Workers in two of the coalition’s main unions make on average annual salary of $ 65,000 to $ 70,000. Workers on average make an additional $ 10,000 to $ 20,000 by toiling extra hours on overtime, the MTA said. That makes them the highest paid commuter railroad workers in the country, according to the MTA.
pdonohue@nydailynews.com
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