Service on the Long Island Rail Road came to a halt on May 16 after 3,500 workers walked off the job. It was the first strike on the railroad in more than 30 years and was sure to wreak havoc on the Monday morning commute if a resolution could not be found.

The Long Island Rail Road is America’s busiest commuter railroad, moving more than 300,000 passengers per day. But front-line employees, including locomotive engineers and signalmen, have been working without a new contract for years. While the Long Island Rail Road’s parent, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, has secured deals with unions at its other railroads, a compromise has been elusive on the LIRR.

“The LIRR owns this strike. Union workers have sacrificed so much for the railroad for years while consistently bargaining in good faith for a fair contract,” said Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien. “Hundreds of thousands of commuters rely on our members’ labor every day. The LIRR is stranding passengers while denying wages, benefits and respect to BLET Teamsters and other hardworking union members. All 1.3 million members of the Teamsters Union are standing with every worker on strike. We will win this fight and the LIRR will give these essential workers the contract they’ve earned.”

Media reported late Sunday that the National Mediation Board had summoned the railroad and unions for further talks in hopes of finding a solution.

—Justin Franz