Revision History

The Long Island Rail Road shut down at 12:01 a.m. on May 16, 2026, when five unions representing 3,500 workers walked off the job in the railroad's first strike since 1994, stranding roughly 300,000 daily commuters. The dispute centers on a gap of roughly 1 to 1.5 percentage points in fourth-year wage increases — the unions want 5%, the MTA has offered up to 4.5% in lump-sum form — while health care contributions and work-rule changes add further friction, and political leaders from Governor Hochul to President Trump trade blame over a federal mediation process both sides say failed.