From the article:
Impasse in LIRR union negotiations -by Alfonso CastilloSo basically, many LIRR workers have been without a contract for three years. Ever since the LIRR and the unions have been at the negotiation table trying to hash out a deal that is good for everyone. That is, until late last week.
"The unions representing most of the Long Island Rail Road's workforce have reached a critical impasse in contract negotiations that could lead to a strike, the LIRR's top union official said Friday.
"Anthony Simon, general chairman of the United Transportation Union, said that after three years of failed negotiations since their last contract expired, eight of the LIRR's 10 main unions were released from mediation Friday.
"With that milestone reached, a 270-day 'countdown clock' begins, and if an agreement is not reached during that time, LIRR workers have the right to walk off their jobs, Simon said.
"Our main concern is not to hurt the riding public or the commuters out there,' said Simon, adding that he hoped the deadline in nine months would "put pressure on the railroad to come up with a fair deal that we can live with.'
"The collective unions represent more than 5,000 of the LIRR's approximately 6,000 represented workers, including its train conductors...
"The last time LIRR unions came out of the National Mediation Board without a deal in place, in 1994, it resulted in a two-day strike that left 100,000 railroad commuters scrambling to find other ways to get to work and back...
"Simon said there are no immediate plans to return to the bargaining table, but added, "We're always open to negotiations."Read the full article here: Impasse in LIRR union negotiations
As per Newsday, the unions have walked away from the negotiation table and we could now be less than nine months away from a strike of some sort on the LIRR (that would put us into July 2014).
At this point, it's still way to early to tell if there will actually be any strike or anything like that, so don't go altering your plans just yet (though I think I might just conspicously book my vacation to leave on July 14th ;-)). There is still a very real possibility that both sides will return to the negotiation tables and work out a deal and preserve the lives of all of us commuters. However, the article reports that the last time the two sides left the negotiating table without a deal back in 1994 there was a two-day strike that stranded tens of thousands of people. I was still in middle school back then, so I don't exactly recall how it went, but I imagine most people just stayed home.
It's hard to tell which side will likely deserve the brunt of the blame at this point in time. Wwe haven't been getting too much information out of the two parties, but it sounds like MTA wants the unions to consent to a three year freeze in wages, and the unions don't seem too happy about that.
In the grand scheme of things I'm not the biggest fan of the LIRR unions. Some of their work rules and demands can be an obstacle to progress at times and they can certainly make the operating budget look a lot less appealing if you catch my drift.
In the immediate lead up to East Side Access' opening the LIRR is going to have to crack down hard on these unions and chip away at some of the more clunky conditions they've held onto for so long. The LIRR's operating style will be changing significantly and hopefully we won't have thees unions making everything uncomfortable for everybody.
