LIRR Faces 32-Year First as Unions Strike Over Wages
After last-minute talks failed to secure wage increases, a coalition of five unions including BLET walked out at Long Island Rail Road, affecting about 3,500 workers (500 engineers) and marking the first LIRR strike in 32 years; the move comes despite two Presidential Emergency Boards siding with labor offers, and amid more than three years without raises, with the MTA blaming mismanagement while unions say they deserve fair pay.