New York, NY - July 15, 2014 - After negotiations Monday July 14 Long Island Rail Road union leaders have threatened to strike as early as Sunday, July 20th.
The MTA remains committed to settling this matter quickly, but any new agreement must be affordable not just today, but also into the future, without jeopardizing the investments necessary to maintain the service we provide our riders or placing additional pressure on future fares.
In the most recent MTA offer, a current LIRR employee would receive:
- A 17% wage increase over seven years
- An average $22,000 retroactive payment
- Healthcare contributions of just 2% of base salary
- No changes to pension contributions
- No changes to work rules
- To afford this offer, the MTA asks that future LIRR employees:
- Contribute 4% to healthcare
- Contribute to their pensions throughout their career as an LIRR employee
- Work more years to reach top pay
Under this plan, both existing and new LIRR employees will remain the highest paid commuter railroad workers in the country, and with the best pension in the industry.
A strike would have a devastating impact. It’s time to have productive negotiations to resolve our differences and return to what we all do best together – serving our LIRR customers.
Sincerely,
Thomas F. Prendergast
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer