NEW YORK — A group of unions representing Long Island Rail Road workers will ask President Donald Trump to appoint a second Presidential Emergency Board to address their dispute with the commuter railroad. The move would further delay the possibility of a strike or lockout involving the five unions.
In a statement reported by cable channel News 12 Connecticut, the LIRR Bargaining Coalition of five unions said it will make the request next week, and fully expects the result of that board to be comparable to that of the first PEB. The first board recommended raises totaling 14% over four years, in addition to a $3,000 lump-sum payment. The non-binding recommendation was turned down by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority [see “MTA rejects …,” Trains.com, Oct. 18, 2025].
“Management for purely political reasons has refused to sit down at a bargaining table since last July and even cynically tried to provoke a strike last year so that they wouldn’t have the strike threat in an election year,” the coalition said. “Rather than continue this lengthy process, management should quit playing politics, meet with our five unions and hammer out a fair agreement, one that’s not concessionary, using the recommendations of the first Presidential Emergency Board as a basis for further negotiations. Let’s get this done, craft a new agreement and keep the trains running.”
The complex rules of the Railway Labor Act allow for the appointment of two Presidential Emergency Boards. Like the first, appointed in September, a second PEB would issue its recommendations within 30 days of appointment and ensure that no strike or lockout could take place for 120 days. The 120-day period triggered by the appointment of the first board expires next week.
The unions have sought raises totaling 16% over four years, while the MTA has offered 9.5% over three years, terms accepted by most other LIRR unions.
Organizations represented by the coalition are the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen; Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen; International Association of Machinists; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; and Independent Railway Supervisors Association. They represent about 7,000 LIRR workers.
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