The largest LIRR union voted Wednesday to strike in March if workers don’t get raises from the MTA, according to union officials.
Employees represented by the Sheet Metal, Air and Transportation Union came to their decision after a vote in Massapequa.
The “SMART” union includes conductors and track workers, as well as car inspectors and cleaners.
“They don’t want to go on strike, but they’ve been slapped in the face so many times,” said the union’s chairman, Anthony Simon, who said the MTA can give workers raises without fare hikes.
The MTA has said it can’t afford the wage increases without concessions from the union.
An emergency board of negotiators appointed by President Obama to solve the labor impasse recommended in December that the union be given raises but that workers make contributions to their health plans. The panel did not suggest work-rule changes.
The MTA rejected the recommendation, saying the board didn’t consider its finances or its customers.
MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast said in January that the financial hit to the MTA would be equivalent to a 12 percent fare hike if all unions got an almost 3 percent raise without changes to archaic work rules.
“Employees deserve raises, but we need to do that in a way that balances our budget and doesn’t put our financial plan in risk,” Prendergast said.
A spokesman said Wednesday the MTA is still hopeful it can reach a negotiated settlement with workers.
Currently, the MTA and seven LIRR unions are in a 60-day cooling-off period after the panel recommendations were rejected.
The SMART union sent a letter to the MTA Tuesday, urging the agency to negotiate based on what the presidential board proposed.
The MTA has until late March to request a second emergency board, which would delay any labor action until late July.
Fares are scheduled to go up 4 percent in 2015 and 2017, Prendergast said last month. That’s less than the 7.5 percent hikes projected in December.
The MTA said improved finances due to cost-cutting, higher ridership and lower-than-expected health care and pension costs enabled it to scale back the hikes.