Blakeman Blames Hochul for LIRR Strike as 330,000 Face Disruptions

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman accused Gov. Kathy Hochul of driving New York into chaos with her handling of the Long Island Rail Road strike.

"The blame is on Kathy Hochul and her lack of leadership," Blakeman told Lisa Boothe on "Fox & Friends Weekend." "This strike didn’t have to happen. She treats the workers as if they were servants. She doesn't have a good relationship with union leaders."

Blakeman said he reaches agreements with unions by looking out for workers' families. He contrasted that approach with Hochul's record, which he said includes bringing in out-of-state workers during a nurses' strike and National Guard troops during a corrections officers' strike.

"And now we have the first railroad worker's strike in 30 years," he said.

Five unions representing about 3,700 workers, including ticket clerks, locomotive engineers, signalmen, electricians and machinists, walked off the job Saturday. It is the fourth strike in the rail line's history.

The LIRR said service is suspended until further notice and urged commuters to avoid nonessential travel. The railroad will run limited shuttle buses on weekdays for essential workers who cannot work from home.

Kevin Sexton, national vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said no new talks are scheduled. "We’re far apart at this point," he said. "We are truly sorry that we are in this situation."

Unions and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority had agreed on a contract with 3% annual raises over three years. The remaining dispute is over a 5% raise in the fourth year, which the MTA said it cannot afford.