NEW YORK, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of workers for the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) went on strike early Saturday, potentially disrupting travel for hundreds of thousands of commuters in the New York metropolitan area.
"A Long Island Rail Road strike is in effect and service is suspended," said a notice by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the operator of LIRR on Saturday.
Five unions representing more than 3,500 workers, including ticket clerks, locomotive engineers, signalmen, electricians and machinists, walked off the job, according to local media reports.
The unions failed to reach a deal with railroad management on wages and work rules on Friday. No further negotiations have been scheduled.
The impact of the strike is expected to be felt most severely on Monday, when nearly 300,000 commuters travel in and out of New York City. Riders will need to seek alternatives such as buses, though limited service can accommodate only about 13,000 passengers each in the morning and evening, or drive despite persistently high gas prices.
This is the LIRR's first strike in more than 30 years and the fourth in its history. Previous strikes occurred in 1980, 1987 and 1994, lasting between two and 11 days.
