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Manhasset Press: LIRR Commuter Council Says

Read the Manhasset Press article here.

LIRR Commuter Council Says
July 13, 2014 By Elizabeth Johnson

The Long Island Rail Road Commuter Council (LIRRCC) has long believed that a contract that is fair and acceptable to all parties can best be produced through negotiation between the MTA and LIRR and the labor unions representing LIRR workers. The LIRRCC continues to hold this view and calls on both sides to resume serious negotiations and work diligently to reach a settlement. We ask both parties to step back, regroup, refocus and rededicate themselves to resolving this impasse. If a new and neutral location would help refocus this process on the impact of failed negotiations on those who depend on the LIRR, the Long Island Rail Road Commuter Council offers the use of its Long Island office in hopes of bringing the parties together.

“Our message to both parties in this dispute has been ‘work it out so riders can get to work’ but the implications of a strike and service shutdown go beyond riders to Long Island and the region as a whole. The negative economic and human impact of a strike would be huge, and the only responsible option is to keep talking and working to reach an agreement which is fair and does not result in an added financial burden on riders. To put it succinctly, we want no strike and no hike” said LIRRCC Chair Mark Epstein.