Deal ends Long Island Rail Road strike

Negotiators reached a tentative contract agreement late Monday, May 18, 2026, between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and five unions representing Long Island Rail Road workers, ending a three-day strike that had halted service. The walkout affected roughly 3,500 employees and disrupted travel for about 300,000 daily riders on one of North America’s busiest commuter rail systems.

The agreement followed several days of systemwide shutdown, during which commuters across Long Island and New York City faced significant delays and sought alternative transportation. Officials announced the breakthrough late Monday, saying the accord would allow service to begin coming back online the following day.

Federal mediators from the National Mediation Board assisted in bringing both sides back to the bargaining table and helped broker the agreement. Talks continued into Monday evening before negotiators reached a tentative understanding on key issues.

Governor Kathy Hochul said the MTA had reached what she described as a fair deal that would provide raises while protecting riders and taxpayers. Details of the full contract terms were not immediately disclosed beyond reported wage provisions and the status of the deal as tentative.

Media accounts of the tentative agreement reported a handshake deal on retroactive wage increases for LIRR workers. The package was described as providing 3% raises for 2023, 3% for 2024 and 3.5% for 2025.

These wage increases are to be applied retroactively, according to those reports, but the contract still requires ratification by the membership of the five unions involved. Until union members vote, the agreement remains tentative and subject to final approval.

Transit officials cautioned that normal Long Island Rail Road operations would not resume immediately despite the end of the strike. MTA officials said it could take about 24 hours to move trains back into position and complete necessary safety checks across the network.

Phased service was scheduled to restart at noon on Tuesday, with full service expected to be in place by the evening commute. The staged approach is intended to allow time for repositioning equipment and verifying that systems are ready for regular passenger operations.

The three-day shutdown of LIRR service disrupted commutes for hundreds of thousands of riders who rely on the railroad for daily travel between Long Island and New York City. The planned restoration of full service by Tuesday evening is expected to ease those disruptions as trains return to regular schedules.

With a tentative deal now in place, attention turns to the ratification process within the five unions representing approximately 3,500 LIRR employees. Union members will review the proposed contract, including the reported retroactive wage increases, before voting on whether to approve the agreement.