It’s good news for LIRR customers — the railroad’s unions have agreed to postpone any potential strike till September.
A coalition of LIRR unions had threatened to walk off the job in mid-July, but they now say they are willing to stay at the negotiating table for another two months.
“The reason for this was not to put any more strain on the economy of Long Island,” said Anthony Simon, chairman of the United Transportation Union.
He said that the east end of Long Island is still hurting from Superstorm Sandy, and workers don’t want the strike to hurt small businesses’ summer revenue.
Earlier this month, a board of President Obama-appointed negotiators recommended a total 17 percent wage hike for workers over six years.
The MTA had offered railroad workers 11 percent raises over the same time period.
“The MTA [on Thursday] received a proposal from the LIRR unions to delay their threatened service disruption,” said spokesman Adam Lisberg.
“We believe LIRR customers are best served if both sides return to the bargaining table as soon as possible to reach a fair and reasonable settlement.”
The MTA board approved 8 percent raises for subway and bus workers over five years on May 21.