LIRR Workers Strike for Second Day as Monday Commute Looms

Long Island Rail Road workers returned to picket lines at various spots in New York City and on Long Island on Sunday as the strike entered its second day.

The work stoppage has already disrupted weekend travel, but the bigger worry is Monday morning's commute. The LIRR is the busiest commuter rail system in North America, with roughly 250,000 weekday riders. Many people who normally travel from Long Island suburbs into New York City will need to find other routes.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has activated its contingency plan. It includes recommended subway stations as passenger drop-off points. For riders without a ride, limited free shuttle buses will run from several Long Island stations to subway connections in Queens starting Monday. Buses from Bay Shore, Hicksville, Mineola and Lakeview will go to Howard Beach-JFK Airport. Buses from Ronkonkoma and Huntington will go to Jamaica-179th Street.

The MTA also said it plans to issue pro-rated refunds to monthly ticket holders.

Union and MTA leaders have traded criticism over the stalled contract talks. Negotiations have dragged on for months, with disputes centering on salaries and health care premiums. Workers walked off the job just after midnight Saturday, and no new talks are scheduled.

Karl Bischoff, president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said the MTA had not shown urgency at the bargaining table.

"The MTA never really came to the table to negotiate until we had to call them out at their last board meeting," Bischoff said. "There is no sense or urgency, as has been said before. It just seems like the MTA board is never held accountable. My members are always held accountable for their actions."

MTA President and CEO Janno Lieber pushed back on CBS News New York on Sunday morning.

"Just to be perfectly clear, we never broke off negotiations. The union elected to cut off negotiations and go on strike and inconvenience everybody. That was their choice," Lieber said. "We have been available every minute of every day, if they are serious about trying to bring this to a close. These are by far the best-paid workers in the entire national railroad system, and they want a better deal than every other MTA worker. That's not fair."

"These guys seem to think they are special, they are better than everybody else, and we're not going to blow the MTA's budget and put more burdens on taxpayers and riders because they think they are special," Lieber added.

When asked how long the MTA could sustain the standoff financially, Lieber said the agency is large enough to absorb the loss of ridership for now. He said a financial crisis would come only if the MTA agreed to the union's demands and then had to extend similar raises to other workers.

Weekend travelers have already faced confusion and delays. At Jamaica station, many commuters arrived unaware that trains were not running. Shuttle bus service does not begin until Monday.

Events such as the Subway Series between the Yankees and Mets at Citi Field, the Bruce Springsteen concert at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, and the Brooklyn Half Marathon have been harder to reach for Long Islanders who normally rely on the LIRR.

"It would've been a 15-minute train ride. Instead, it was like an hour and a half to get here," Alex Lupo said at Citi Field on Saturday night.

"It's pretty annoying. I hope they could figure this out. It's really poor timing for this to happen during the Subway Series," Ryan Mattel said.

Another Yankees-Mets game is set for 1:40 p.m. Sunday, and similar travel problems are expected. Some ticket holders for other concerts and Broadway shows have already given up their seats because of the strike.