Gov. Cuomo said Monday that it’s up to Congress — not the governor’s office — to head off a possible LIRR strike.
With less than two weeks before a looming strike deadline, Cuomo said commuters shouldn’t look to him to swoop in and save the day.
“The Long Island Rail Road is a little different than other unions in the state. Those [other union contracts] are . . . contracts with the state of New York and they are in the control of the state of New York.” the governor said.
“The LIRR is a little different because the way the law is written, it’s actually Congress that can end the strike and impose a settlement one way or another.”
Long Island officials have been clamoring for Cuomo to intervene before the July 20 deadline.
The governor could easily get the blame if he intercedes and the two sides can’t reach a reasonable deal — not a position Cuomo wants in an election year, particularly if he is counting on support from suburban voters.
On the flip side, if he takes a major role to avert a walkout, he’d score political points over his suburban GOP rival, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino.
The governor has a proven track record when it comes to labor stalemates.
In April, he got involved in a 2-year-old contract dispute between the MTA and New York City transit workers, who ended up agreeing on a five-year deal.
In September 2012, Cuomo led the Communications Workers of America to an agreement with Verizon Communications after 13 months of stalled talks.
And, in July 2012, Cuomo stepped in to end a nearly four-week lockout of 8,000 Utility Workers Union of America employees at Con Edison.
But Cuomo said the LIRR dispute is different, so he’s tossing the ball to the feds.
“Right now, it seems Congress is pivotal to what happens here,” he said. “This is federal law and if the union goes on strike, it goes to Congress, and the Congress basically resolves the strike. They can dictate what the settlement is.”
But one Long Island politician isn’t buying it. Republican state Sen. Jack Martins of Mineola, stressed that the MTA is a state-funded authority whose chairman was hand-picked by the Democratic governor.
“Governor Cuomo has shown real talent at resolving these disputes before,” Martins said in a statement. “Punting to a gridlocked Congress should be the absolute last resort. He must at least try to bring both sides together before saying he can’t.”
Unions representing 5,400 LIRR workers have been on the job without a contract since 2010.
Union leaders are pushing for a 17 percent raise over six years with no changes in work rules and pensions.
The MTA offered 17 percent over seven years and wants workers to pay more of their health-care costs. Currently, LIRR workers don’t contribute toward their health insurance.
Federal mediators have agreed to join the talks, which resume Tuesday.
A strike could affect 300,000 daily riders, most of whom travel in and out of New York City from Long Island.
Additional reporting by Kathleen Culliton