Long Islanders about to be stranded by an LIRR strike won’t be rescued by their Congress members.
The New York delegation, including three Long Island reps, said Wednesday that Congress won’t step in — and it’s up to the union and MTA to hash out a deal before the July 20 deadline.
“We’ve made it clear to both sides that neither should count on congressional intervention,” said Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY).
“Both sides to the conflict need to sit at a table, bring in cots if necessary, and get this resolved between them.”
Hundreds of thousands of Long Islanders would have to work from home, stay with friends in the city, carpool or take a crowded shuttle bus to a Queens subway if a strike moves foward.
LIRR workers have rejected a generous offer of 17 percent raises over seven years. They are also the highest paid railroad workers in the country.
“It’s the worst time of year for a strike,” said commuter Kevin Grimm, 56, of Manhasset. “Think of the customers first. Think of the riders first.”
LIRR workers can legally walk off the job, since they are under federal jurisdiction. The New York State Taylor Law, which doesn’t let most public workers strike, doesn’t apply to the railroads.
“What we really need is for Congress to wake up and say, they [the LIRR] ought to be subject to the Taylor Law,” said Richard Ravitch, a former MTA chairman and lieutenant governor.
Gov. Cuomo said Congress’ refusal to step in would help the MTA negotiate with the labor unions.
“The unions’ false belief that Congress would step in to mandate a settlement was a major impediment to any real progress,” he said.
“A strike is just not an option and would be a terrible failure by both the unions and the MTA.”
The unions want Congress to step in and offer them the generous terms two President Obama-appointed board of negotiators had recommended, sources said.
MTA chairman Thomas Prendergast went to Washington D.C. to see if Congress planned to take any steps on the railroad walk-out.
“The unions seem to believe that their best course of action would be to go on strike, which would pressure Congress into give them the contract terms they want,” said Adam Lisberg, an MTA spokesman. “This makes it far more likely that they will come to the table.”
The MTA will meet with lead LIRR union negotiator Anthony Simon on Thursday to continue negotiations.
Negotiations for a new contract have been going on since 2010.
“There’s 300,000 people at stake,” said Harris Rivkin, 21, of Manhasset Hills, who uses the LIRR to come into New York City for his internship.
— Additional reporting by Harrison Marder and Carl Campanile