MTA, LIRR unions prepare for new talks on controversial work rules following strike deal
At the center of the upcoming talks is a century-old provision requiring engineers to receive double pay if they operate both an electric train and a diesel train during the same shift.
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Just days after finalizing a contract agreement that ended a Long Island Rail Road strike, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and union leaders are already preparing for another round of negotiations — this time focused on long-standing work rules that have become a flashpoint in labor discussions.
At the center of the upcoming talks is a century-old provision requiring engineers to receive double pay if they operate both an electric train and a diesel train during the same shift. MTA leadership has repeatedly criticized the rule as outdated and costly, arguing that it contributes significantly to overtime expenses.
"The public is stuck with it forever paying massive overtime if they just don't want to negotiate it," MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said earlier this week.
In a sign that both sides may be willing to revisit the issue, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen General Chairman Gilman Lang sent a letter to MTA leadership Wednesday stating that the union is prepared to discuss the work rule through the collective bargaining process.
"Since there is a mutual interest in addressing this issue ... the appropriate forum is the collective bargaining process," Lang wrote.
The MTA responded the following day. In a letter to the union, the agency's senior deputy chief of labor relations Kelli Coughlin wrote that the MTA "remains prepared and eager to discuss modifications to various penalty payments and permanent work rules" contained in the parties' collective bargaining agreement.
MTA Board Member Marc Herbst called the quick exchange between the two sides an encouraging development.
"They responded immediately. Faster than I expected," Herbst said.
He added that revisiting work rules could help the MTA control overtime costs while limiting pressure to raise fares.
"Affordability has been the issue. The whole strike was based on how can the riders maintain paying what the fare is without a major increase," Herbst said.
While Lang confirmed the union is open to discussing work rules, he emphasized that any changes cannot be traded for pay increases that keep up with inflation.
"We consistently said during bargaining that we would be willing to discuss work rules, however not in place of, to pay for general wage increase," Lang said.
The MTA has offered to meet with union leaders next week, though a date has not yet been finalized. Both sides expect negotiations to begin within the next 30 days.
