Heading into Thursday’s critical negotiating session with MTA managers, LIRR union leaders reiterated that they have no interest in a contract settlement made up of a one-time lump-sum payment. The MTA’s chief negotiator said the transit authority’s latest offer would give workers the financial equivalent of the 4.5% wage increase recommended by federal mediators, half a percentage point from the unions’ demands of 5%. But rather than coming in standard wage increases, the money would be in a lump sum payment, which MTA officials have said would be more affordable for management over the long run. In a statement Thursday, the coalition of five unions still “rejects the one-time payment gimmick,” in part because, without a real raise, wages would default to 2025 levels when the unions return to the bargaining table for their next contract. Read the latest news on a possible LIRR strike at the link in bio. - - #longislandny #railroad #mta #lirr #strike