WASHINGTON — Greg Regan and Shari Semelsberger, President and Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department (TTD), issued the following statement in support of the 3,500 Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) employees on strike:
“As America’s largest transportation labor federation, representing the five unions in the Long Island Rail Road Bargaining Coalition, we express our unwavering support for every single worker on the picket line. This is about fairness, a living wage, and recognition of the essential work of LIRR employees.
“Let’s be clear: these unions have bargained in good faith and followed the legal processes in place. After two Presidential Emergency Boards ruled in favor of the bargaining coalition’s demands, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) refused to cooperate and accept the reasonable terms presented to them.
“The resulting significant travel delays and disruptions on America’s busiest commuter railroad are proof that New York City does not move smoothly without the members we represent. Three years without a raise is unacceptable in any workplace, and we are proud to stand in solidarity with the railroaders demanding their fair share.”
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The Long Island Rail Road Bargaining Coalition includes the following unions: the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLET), the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS), the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), and the Transportation Communications Union (TCU).