Long Island Rail Road on Strike- First Blame Goes to Governor Hochul and MTA Leadership
As the five unions representing Long Island Rail Road employees walked off the job last night after working three years without a contract, one thing is crystal clear: this strike never would have happened under Governor Andrew Cuomo or a Governor Lee Zeldin.
Governor Kathy Hochul’s weak, “lead from behind” style of governing created this crisis. Standing in the shadows while labor disputes spiral out of control is not leadership — it’s negligence.
Making matters even worse is an MTA leadership team that has shown complete disrespect for the workforce. The combination of Governor Hochul, MTA Chairman & CEO Janno Lieber, and NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow has pushed transit unions, especially the supervisors of TWU Local 106, into the very same position the LIRR unions are facing today.
President Crichlow’s actions forced Local 106 to prepare a PERB charge alleging bargaining in bad faith against the NYC Transit Authority. We know exactly what the LIRR unions are going through because we are dealing with the same treatment ourselves.
The message to transit workers has been loud and clear: this administration does not respect the workforce that keeps New York moving.
In November, Governor Kathy Hochul should be voted out, and Bruce Blakeman should be elected Governor so he can clean house at the MTA and remove Lieber, Crichlow, and Frank Farrell once and for all.
