Long Island Rail Road workers walk the picket line outside of Penn Station during a strike in New York on Saturday. HEATHER KHALIFA/ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — The Long Island Rail Road, North America's largest commuter rail system, was shut down on Saturday after unionized workers went on strike for the first time in three decades.
The railroad, which serves New York and its eastern suburbs, ceased operations just after midnight after five unions representing about half its workforce walked off the job.
The unions and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, or MTA, the public agency that runs the railroad, have been negotiating for months on a new contract, with talks stalled over the question of workers' salaries and healthcare premiums.
Kevin Sexton, national vice-president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said no new talks have been scheduled.
