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Readers who have decamped southward from New York to sensibly managed states have yet another reason to be satisfied with their decision. This week they can feel especially grateful to no longer be at the mercy of government workers who exploit public infrastructure to force commuters to pay ever higher fares. Alyssa Lukpat and Joseph Pisani report for the Journal: The Long Island Rail Road strike carried into a third day Monday, with weekday commutes looming and no sign of a resolution in the talks. LIRR employees have walked off the job over a wage dispute, shutting down the country’s busiest commuter railroad. About 300,000 daily passengers will have to find alternative routes between New York City and Long Island. Unionized railroad workers couldn’t agree on a deal with the
Metropolitan Transportation Authority, or MTA, which oversees the LIRR, after months of negotiations. The striking union workers number about 3,500. A report last year from the Empire Center pegged average total pay at the railroad at nearly $122,000 in 2024, roughly 75% above the average U.S. wage calculated by the Social Security Administration.
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