Tuesday’s Headlines: Strike, Out Edition

The deal Gov. Hochul announced late on Monday to end the Long Island Rail Road strike does not appear to have yielded any substantial concessions on the railroad’s outdated work rules.

Those work rules had been top of mind for some transit watchers eager to wring more efficiency out of the LIRR’s highly compensated workforce, but workers refused to negotiate over them — and Hochul and the MTA acquiesced.

The union wanted a 5-percent pay hike, on top of retroactive raises, but details of the deal were not immediately clear. Speaking to reporters, Hochul only called the agreement “a fair deal.”

“At a time where everything is going up, I was not going to allow taxes or fares to go up,” the governor said. “And that’s why we stood for a deal that would not require any additional fare increases or tax increases.”

Partial rail service will resume at noon with full service by 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Hochul said.

The state agreed to the deal even as the region experienced muted impacts on the first workday since the strike began: The LIRR typically carries around 140,000 people per day. On Monday a combination of shuttle buses, remote work and other alternatives appeared to have offset any horrendous impacts on traffic congestion — which was slightly elevated, but not extreme around the Nassau-Queens border, according to one official briefed on road conditions in the LIRR service area.

That didn’t stop the news media from scouring LIRR stops for frustrating commuters, some of whom reported seeing their travel times double as a result of the strike. Outlets including The Times, The Post and amNewYork were on the scene across the region.

Here’s a rundown of the coverage:

• Hours before Hochul announced a deal, MTA negotiator Gary Dellaverson accused the unions of having “no sense of urgency” at the bargaining table. (The City)
• Labor reporter Hamilton Nolan spoke to workers about their demands as they picketed outside Madison Square Garden.
• Budget hawks from the Manhattan Institute and Empire Center urged Gov. Hochul and the MTA to hold the line on work rules (so much for that). (City Journal, The Bigger Apple) And The Post accused the unions of taking riders “hostage.”
• Actually, Hochul had leverage because Long Island’s sharp Republican turn meant that she didn’t have to try to win over LIRR union members. (City & State)
• MTA CEO Janno Lieber had warned that labor’s demands could saddle riders with fare hikes, which one MTA board member estimated could hit 8 percent.
• Mayor Mamdani took a neutral stance on the strike. (Gothamist)
• State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli pegged the daily cost of the strike to the region’s economy as $61 million. (Gothamist)
• Unions accused the MTA of relying on scab bus drivers to shuttle rides during the strike. Around 2,000 people took advantage of the service, the MTA said. (Gothamist)
• Is it “L-I-R-R” or “Lurr” or “L-I-Double-R”? Naturally, the Times cares.

In other news:

• Cyclists rode in support of the W. 72nd Street bike lane proposed over the weekend. (West Side Rag)
• The FDNY lacks a formal policy for emergency vehicle use of bus lanes, even though it is permitted. (Remapping Debate)
• West Side Rag profiled one of the people killed in Friday’s drunk driving tragedy on the Upper West Side — a “beloved doorman” who never took off work.
• Kansas City is spending big on a “temporary transit system” for the World Cup. (NY Times)
• Will Mamdani take New York City’s “trash revolution” to the next level? (The Indypendent)
• Mayor Mamdani’s budget cuts Parks enforcement patrols. (NY Post)
• DOT and NYU want to hear from you for an upcoming study on e-bikes and health.
• Brooklyn Heights hosted its second annual “longest table” event. (Brooklyn Eagle)
• Say goodbye to the parking lot in Downtown Brooklyn’s Columbus Park — as if. (Lincoln Restler via X)
• Here’s 300 people salsa dancing on the Vanderbilt Avenue Open Street with no need for cops: