New York, NY – On Monday, May 18, around 3500 Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) workers from five unions concluded a three-day strike. During the strike, rail workers shut down the busiest commuter train service in the United States, which transports between 250,000 and 300,000 passengers daily. New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli estimated that the strike cost the region $61 million per day.

New York, NY – For working New Yorkers, taking the subway is an essential part of their day-to-day life. Having a car in New York is incredibly difficult and expensive, which means unless you are rich enough to take a cab to work every day, the subway is basically the only viable option. So for the many New Yorkers with working-class jobs that do not allow them to show up late without risk of getting fired, it is very important that the subway runs smoothly and remains affordable.