Long Island Rail Talks Go On as Strike Deadline Is Extended

A federal mediator said late Friday that labor unions were not going on strike at midnight against the Long Island Rail Road, the nation’s busiest commuter railroad.

Mediator Walter C. Wallace said that the deadline was extended at least until 6 a.m. today and he thought “there may be further extensions.”

LIRR President Bruce McIver said: “The current plan is to continue bargaining through the night. I’m still hopeful that there will be productive discussions.”

A strike by the rail line’s 11 unions would disrupt travel for 272,000 daily commuters.

Officials from Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island urged commuters to plan on taking buses and setting up car pools. A walkout would not be fully felt by commuters until Tuesday, however, because Monday is a federal holiday.

“The danger of a strike is very real,” Wallace said during a briefing earlier Friday evening. “But there has been some movement bringing the two sides closer together.” He declined to elaborate.

The unions have been without a contract since the end of 1984. Six craft unions were negotiating as a group. Five other unions representing supervisors, engineers, signalmen and police officers were negotiating individually. Because the unions have traditionally respected each other’s picket lines, settlements with all 11 are considered necessary to avoid a strike.

The unions have asked for a 21% wage increase over a 4 1/2-year contract effective retroactively to January, 1985. Other demands include improvements in the pension plan.