A strike on the Long Island Rail Road could be just weeks away, following a breakdown in contract negotiations between the agency and five unions representing its workers.
In a letter dated Aug. 14, union leaders wrote that the National Mediation Board indicated the LIRR and unions were unable to reach a voluntary settlement.
Union officials say they plan to reject an offer from the board, a move that triggers a mandatory 30-day “cooling-off” period under federal labor law. Once that period ends, either Gov. Kathy Hochul or one of the parties in the dispute could request that the Trump administration form a Presidential Emergency Board to intervene and help avert a strike…