President Trump stepped in on a Long Island Rail Road labor dispute with an executive order Tuesday – ensuring there will be no work stoppage for at least four months.
Trump’s order establishing a federal emergency board comes after five labor unions representing LIRR workers asked the federal government to intervene on a contract impasse with New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
White House spokesman Kush Desei said Trump signed the order “to prevent a strike that could have crippled the New York City area and disrupted the upcoming Ryder Cup [golf tournament] on Long Island.”
The emergency board will probe the contract fight and prevent and mediate negotiations under the Railway Labor Act, which triggers a 120-day “cooling off period.”
That means neither the MTA nor the unions can change wages, hours or working conditions — and workers cannot legally strike — for roughly four months unless both sides agree to a deal.
The board, set to be composed of three members appointed directly by Trump, will have 30 days to review the contract proposals from both sides and issue its recommendations.
Trump’s order comes after the unions representing about half of all LIRR employees authorized its first strike since 1994.
But labor leaders instead delayed the work stoppage on Monday and asked Trump to step in to create the emergency board.
The MTA wants to give union workers a 9.5% raise over three years — but the union was pushing for even larger pay bumps totaling 16%. Leaders later countered that they’d agree to the 9.5% over three years only if MTA brass agreed to add a fourth year to the deal.
Union members said that they would agree to the current offer made by the LIRR and MTA — a 9.5% raise over the next three years — but only if a fourth year is added to the deal that will make up the difference and bring their raises to a total of 16%.
The last railroad strike in 1994 lasted just two days, but crippled commutes across Long Island and New York City.
A spokesperson from Hochul pointed to the governor’s previous comments on Monday after labor leaders authorized the strike.
“We have to get away from the strike language and the White House and others should be using their power to say ‘you’re not allowed to strike,’” Hochul told reporters.
“‘You cannot strike. Work it out at the table and that’s it.’”
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