REGIONAL — THE METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY said in a statement Monday that five Long Island Rail Road unions threatening to strike this Thursday had “backed off.” The largest union, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, approved the job action in a vote Monday but put it on pause as union representatives requested a Presidential Emergency Mediation Board to weigh in, which could delay the timeline by several months, according to Gothamist.

Earlier on Monday, Gov. Kathy Hochul had described the unions’ wage demands as unrealistic and called for reps to return to the bargaining table — but also pointed an accusatory finger at President Donald Trump and his administration’s National Mediation Board, which ended negotiations with the unions on Aug. 18.

See Full Page