NEW YORK — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declined to say Wednesday whether she would ask President Donald Trump to appoint a Presidential Emergency Board to head off a potential strike by five Long Island Rail Road unions, and claimed that the Trump administration was responsible for the possibility of a walkout as soon as Sept. 18.
At a Wednesday (Sept. 10, 2025) press conference in New York City to promote improved subway crime statistics, Hochul — queried if she would ask Trump to intervene — responded, “The White House already intervened, and they screwed us in the process.
“They never should have given license to stop the negotiations,” she said, apparently suggesting that the National Mediation Board decision releasing the unions and LIRR from mediation was an administration decision. “They never should have shut it down and said that’s enough, and given authority to strike. … I want people back at the table. I want the conversations to occur in a meaningful, productive way, because we have over 300,000 people who rely on this system of transportation. But if the worst scenario occurs, I want this entire community to know that this was initiated by the Trump White House.”
The Long Island newspaper Newsday reports the Trump administration did not respond to a request for comment.
However, the heads of the five unions involved wrote Hochul on Tuesday, Sept. 9, to say the claim the administration involved was “simply false. … The National Mediation Board carefully considered our dispute and rightfully determined that the parties were at an impasse.”
In that letter, the unions also contended that the LIRR and Metropolitan Transportation Authority have “indicated that your office does not intend to make such a request [for a Presidential Emergency Board] because you prefer a strike now versus risk the potential of a strike closer to your reelection. The letter also calls for Hochul to “at minimum … direct LIRR/MTA to meet with us as soon as possible to determine a definite and orderly shutdown of operations.”
The letter was signed by officials of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and the Transportation Communications Union. Those organizations represent almost half of the LIRR’s unionized work force.
A BLET vote on a potential strike concludes Monday, Sept. 15. The IBEW has also said it held a strike vote but has not announced results.
The NMB decision releasing the two sides from further mediation last month, starting the clock on a 30-day cooling-off period [see “Long Island Rail Road, five unions release …,” Trains.com, Aug. 19, 2025]. When that period ends Sept. 18, the unions could strike (or the LIRR could lock the workers out) unless President Trump appoints a Presidential Emergency Board to study the situation and make a non-binding recommendation for a settlement. That could push back a strike date by months.
As a New York state resident and taxpayer, we have a constant barrage of anti Trump, anti republican messages from this woman. She is already on the campaign trail for reelection, giving away tax payer dollars in a thinly vailed attempt to buy your vote with your own tax dollars. She in reality has no solution to any problems.
I don’t know anything about this, except for what I read here. You would think that if they are in mediation, there was plenty of opportunities for them to reach an agreement. Now she (governor) is just playing the blame game.
Well you know in her mind, Trump is responsible for JFK’s assassination and the Jimmy Hoffa Coverup… lol
I have to say what needs to be said:
(1) The federal government in Washington is useless. Democrat, Republican, whatever. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
(2) The New York State government in Albany badly needs a shower.
(3) Public sector unions can be a problem.
(4) The economic parameters of public transportation in USA are collapsing in front of our eyes. SEPTA and BART are in deep trouble. Chicago RTA’s three subsidiaries (PACE, METRA and CTA) will be next. The marginal systems (Charlotte, North Carolina obviously) will soon be out of business. No system is entirely exempt.
Public transportation agencies need to lower their costs, increase ridership, and end fare jumping. Else, the game is all but over.
Please don’t misinterpret my post. This isn’t what I want. It’s the total opposite of what I want. Likely I have ridden way more different subway systems, trolleys, etc., far more times than most people reading these pages. But I’m here to tell you, it’s falling apart.
Still, Charles, you have to love our fearless Governor here in New York for her laser-like insight into the root cause of so many issues – “It’s Trump’s fault.” I’m old enough to remember when all issues, foreign and domestic, were “Nixon’s fault.” Some things never change, and political bs is one of them.
1. I suspect the union observation about a strike closer to her election is accurate.
2. I disagree with on Charles #1. The key is eliminating the power of the entrenched DC bureaucracy to do only what it want’s to do. We’ll see if the current attempts to curb its power have some success.
3. Dealing with many levels of government for over 20 years, I came to the conclusion that having government unions to protect paper pushers is not a good idea. But I understand the need for unions that represent government employees involved in public safety (police, fire, EMS and similar) since the politicians would thrown them to the wolves every time something controversial arose.
I should have added that another reason for disagreeing with Charles regarding his #1 is I can’t imagine more different presidents then Biden and Trump. The degree of presidential involvement does make a difference in how DC operates.
How to fix DC? There’s a great idea in Tom Clancy’s “Debt of Honor”