LIRR strike serves as reminder: It pays big to work for the MTA
Gothamist • • business
Key Points:
- The Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) strike lasted three days, impacting nearly 300,000 daily riders and highlighting the critical role of the railroad in avoiding severe traffic congestion on Long Island.
- MTA Chair Janno Lieber criticized LIRR workers for demanding better pay despite being the highest-paid railroad workers in the country, while also facing scrutiny over worker misconduct and overtime fraud.
- Executive pay at the MTA, including Lieber’s $420,599 salary, is high compared to many peers, but officials argue this correlates with improved on-time performance and customer satisfaction.
- The MTA faces high construction costs, exemplified by the $7.7 billion Q line extension, with much engineering work outsourced to costly third-party firms, drawing less public scrutiny than rank-and-file labor costs.
- Governor Kathy Hochul quickly negotiated an end to the LIRR strike, mitigating political damage, though critics blamed her for economic losses; other regional transit issues include a LaGuardia Airport sinkhole, a Penn Station fire, and halted Bronx roadwork plans.