LIRR strike has many worrying about Monday's commute. Here's the latest.

16 hours ago 8

Long Island Rail Road workers were backmost connected the picket lines astatine assorted spots successful New York City and connected Long Island connected Sunday, voicing their concerns and demands arsenic the onslaught continues for a 2nd day.

While the enactment stoppage has caused a mess for radical heading to play events, the existent interest is Monday morning's commute. The LIRR is the busiest commuter obstruction strategy successful North America, with astir 250,000 weekday riders. The onslaught is expected to unit galore to find alternate routes into New York City from from the Long Island suburbs.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says it has activated its contingency plan, which includes recommended subway stations arsenic rider drop-off points to get into the city. However, if you don't person a ride, determination volition beryllium limited, escaped shuttle buses from respective Long Island bid stations to subway connections successful Queens. Bay Shore, Hicksville, Mineola and Lakeview volition spell to Howard Beach-JFK Airport, portion Ronkonkoma and Huntington volition beryllium bound for Jamaica-179th Street.

The MTA says it intends to contented pro-rated refunds to whitethorn monthly summons holders.

Union, MTA speech barbs

For months, the railroad's unions and the MTA person been negotiating a caller contract, but talks person repeatedly stalled implicit workers' salaries and healthcare premiums.

With nary deal, workers went connected onslaught conscionable aft midnight Saturday and nary caller negotiations are presently scheduled.

"The MTA ne'er truly came to the array to negociate until we had to telephone them retired astatine their past committee meeting," said Karl Bischoff, president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. "There is nary consciousness oregon urgency, arsenic has been said before. It conscionable seems similar the MTA committee is ne'er held accountable. My members are ever held accountable for their actions."

MTA President and CEO Janno Lieber issued a effect connected CBS News New York connected Sunday morning.

"Just to beryllium perfectly clear, we ne'er broke disconnected negotiations. The national elected to chopped disconnected negotiations and spell connected onslaught and inconvenience everybody. That was their choice," Lieber said. "We person been disposable each infinitesimal of each day, if they are superior astir trying to bring this to a close. These are by acold the best-paid workers successful the full nationalist railroad system, and they privation a amended woody than each different MTA worker. That's not fair.

"These guys look to deliberation they are special, they are amended than everybody else, and we're not going to stroke the MTA's fund and enactment much burdens connected taxpayers and riders due to the fact that they deliberation they are special," Lieber added.

Asked however agelong the MTA tin prolong specified a standoff financially, Lieber said, "Listen, the MTA is simply a large enactment and if we don't person ridership, obviously, that hits the bottommost line. It's not a concealed that fares don't screen the full amounts, truthful this is not a fiscal situation close present for the MTA. It would beryllium a fiscal situation if we gave successful and gave them, and past everybody else, a ton much money."

"I anticipation they could fig this out"

Though Monday's expected chaos looms, galore play travelers person been near feeling confused and frustrated.

At the Jamaica station, usually a main transit hub successful the metropolis for LIRR riders and expected to beryllium a main picketing determination for workers, galore commuters arrived unaware that trains are not running.

While the MTA has those contingency plans, the shuttle autobus work doesn't commencement until Monday.

So play events similar the Subway Series betwixt the Yankees and Mets astatine Citi Field, the Bruce Springsteen performance connected Saturday nighttime astatine Madison Square Garden, and the Brooklyn Half Marathon, not to notation graduations and different events crossed the city, person been a existent conflict to get to for Long Islanders who usually would get astir connected the LIRR without an issue.

"It would've been a 15-minute bid ride. Instead, it was similar an hr and a fractional to get here," Alex Lupo said astatine Citi Field connected Saturday night.

"It's beauteous annoying. I anticipation they could fig this out. It's truly mediocre timing for this to hap during the Subway Series," Ryan Mattel added.

And with different Yankees-Mets crippled acceptable to commencement astatine 1:40 p.m., the aforesaid question script is apt to unfold. In different instances, immoderate ticketholders for different concerts and Broadway shows had nary prime but to springiness up their tickets due to the fact that of the strike.

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