Overview
- LIRR service, halted at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, has stranded roughly 250,000 to 300,000 weekday riders with all trains suspended.
- The National Mediation Board brought the MTA and five unions back to the table Sunday night, and negotiators reconvened Monday morning without a deal.
- The fight centers on a fourth‑year raise—unions want about 5% versus the MTA’s 3% plus lump sums—while unions say late health‑care demands derailed talks, a claim the agency rejects.
- Officials are running free shuttle buses from six Long Island sites to Queens subways, expanding NICE bus service, and opening Citi Field parking, yet capacity is only about 13,000 riders in the morning and 13,000 in the afternoon so many are urged to work from home.
- State leaders warn of wider fallout, with the MTA saying larger raises could trigger fare hikes of up to 8% and the comptroller estimating up to $61 million a day in losses, while Gov. Kathy Hochul and President Donald Trump trade blame over the federal process.