Day Two of the LIRR Strike: Workers Speak from the Picket Lines

Read our editorial on the significance of strikes here. Read our coverage of the LIRR strike here.

The Worker spoke with striking Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) workers across five different picket lines in New York City about their work conditions, their thoughts on the strike, and the need for working class unity.

3,500 LIRR workers across five unions went on strike on May 16 after going three years without a contract. The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) has so far refused to give pay raises in line with inflation, among other demands.

Workers say they are prepared to continue the strike into the workweek if MTA does not concede to their demands. If the strike continues to Monday, that would surpass their last strike in 1994, which only lasted for a weekend after union leaders at the time settled for roughly half the pay raise workers were demanding.

“We already had two presidential executive boards [executive branch mediation boards, which gave contract recommendations and legally barred the unions from striking till now]. MTA doesn’t want to make a move on it. They’re scared. And we’re just not gonna take it, you know?” a worker on the picket line told The Worker.

Workers debunked the myth put forward by politicians, monopolists, and their media outlets that LIRR workers are all making six-figure salaries. Several told The Worker that they are living paycheck to paycheck.

“They say that, ‘oh, we’re greedy because we’re the highest paid railroad workers.’ We also move the most people in the whole country.” LIRR workers living in New York City face the highest cost of living in the country. This is made worse by the ever-increasing inflation, stemming from the ongoing imperialist economic crisis and the US monopolists’ predatory wars abroad.

“Our guys are coming in, they can barely afford to pay rent, to come to work, to pay for food. Everything’s going up. It’s always been going up. And how are we going to keep up if everything keeps going up? So we have to demand these types of raises.”

One electrician on strike told The Worker that he was making $50,000 a year when he started, and has to provide for his family. He said those making six-figure salaries typically have to work 16-hour and sometimes 24-hour shifts. “You’re basically living there,” another worker commented.

“I work nights. And a lot of people are saying we make $100,000. If that’s the case, we’re still living paycheck to paycheck. A lot of us are. I have a daughter. I pay child support. I’m living with my wife and I’m trying to manage everything and it’s stressful sometimes. How am I gonna save money? I can’t even save money. I have to go check to check.”

One worker pointed out MTA’s hypocrisy for rejecting the pay raise: “The company has money to spend on turnstiles. They raised the fare, but they didn’t raise our wages. How does that make sense?”

Workers also pointed to MTA chairman Janno Lieber’s salary, which nears half a million dollars, asking why he earns so much while workers fight just to get paid enough to get by.

Several spoke in support of the Transport Workers Union (TWU) Local 100 in their ongoing contract negotiations with MTA, whose contract expired May 16. TWU 100 includes subway and bus operators and other transit workers in New York City.

“You gotta stick together. United, we stand; divided, we fall,” one worker said in support of TWU 100 going on strike. A simultaneous strike of LIRR workers and TWU 100 workers would paralyze the entire transit system of the city and greatly increase the pressure on the bosses.

“We gotta stay true to the course and keep the union strong. This isn’t just about us but it’s also about the MTA workers and the rest of the workers in the city.”

Another worker added: “It ain’t just us. It’s every person, every person working. If you can’t live to work, then what’s the point of a job?”

When asked how workers can keep the strike going, one striking worker with Transportation Communications Union (TCU) said, “We just have to stay resilient and stay fighting for what we want, because ultimately, they need us. So instead of giving up, we just continue fighting regardless of how long it takes. And eventually, I think we’ll get what we want. It hurts them more than it hurts us.”

He added, “We’re on strike not only to fight for what we want, but also to show that we’re strong in numbers and won’t accept nothing short of what we deserve.”

Image: Long Island Rail Road workers picket in Jamaica, Queens. Credit: The Worker.

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