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He has done so much for the City of New York, including being actively involved in the rebuild of Lower Manhattan. After September eleventh of two thousand and one, Governor Cuomo the Younger had him move forward to driving so much of the MTA, where he continues to provide wonderful service across a huge reach. Jenna Leeber joins us this morning, Jenna, I don't I'm not familiar with the r other than the cannonball out demun talking back. That's the fun part
of it. This morning is not fun for you. What's your biggest headache this morning?
You know what Tom service is. Actually, the system is working. Most people have taken the Governor's suggestion to make it a telework day. Ninety five percent in Long Islander's telework during COVID, and they know how.
To do it.
The turnout at our shuttle bus locations has been pretty light, so people who have to come into the city are getting there, and the subway service from the Queen's Subway stations where people being dropped off, has been fantastic.
So far, so good.
But it's the first day and we would like to resolve this issue and restore Long Island roilroad service, which carries like three hundred thousand people a day most days.
At this point, given what we know general, how long would you expect this strike to last?
Listen, we made progress yesterday. The talks were productive. It went on until one point thirty in the morning. We're back at the table already this morning. We are hopeful that we can put this to bed, but the union's got to move a little bit further and make sure and your listeners get it. We do not want to have the outcome of this deal, which is a request for better wages than the rest of the MTA workers received,
to result in additional fare, heights or additional taxes. That's why we're pushing back a little bit on the strikers.
Assuming a deal gets done, what's the ramp up time to get this railroad back up and running to service its customers.
Generally speaking, it's whenever we get it done. We think we get service back the next day. And that's because you not only got to move people and equipment into position, we have to perform a lot of federally required inspections, especially of the trains, so there's some of the mechanics that have to be gone through before we can put those put those trains back on the rails and start to take passengers where they're going.
How unified is your system?
I mean you've got three hundred thousand plus on the LR, or you got Metro North, four other things.
General I'm not familiar with. I'm your worst nightmare, Jenne. I have no life.
I go nowhere.
But I look geno at the system unified? Like does a driver make the same amount on each system?
To the ticket people make the same amount? How unified is a system?
Oh, in the sense of you're right that there are different unions. Have tom we have eighty separate bargaining units. We have eighty separate unions in effect to negotiate with. It is really a complicated labor environment, and there are differences among them. But generally speaking, we do what we call pattern bargaining. We make a deal with the biggest union, and then the others have to fit their deals within the economic box that that creates.
This group of unions wants.
To go outside the box to get us a special deal, and that is the source of the tension and the conflicts so far. But as I said, we're trying to resolve it. Chop chop right.
Now, Jenna, when give us a state of the negotiations right now? Are talks ongoing, are they scheduled? What's the story of the negotiations.
Yeah, they're going on right now.
They resumed at seven thirty this morning, as I said, folks took a break at about one thirty in the morning last night. I was here with them and they're back at the table right now as we're speaking. So I don't have an update, but work is going on right now.
Aside from the Federal Mediation Board that's helping in the discussions, is anyone in Congress or in the executive branch helping the parties reach a deal?
Well, I mean the governor has been, you know, side by side with us throughout and she has been monitoring the discussions very closely.
I've been in touch with her team.
Throughout the night in fact, as well as the governor herself, So she's been the major player. You know, Congress really doesn't have a role here because once these unions were released by so they could go on strike by Trump's a national mediation board. There's really no further role for the federal government.
Does the Long Island Railroad break even?
No way. In fact, the Long Island Road is the most highly subsidized of our MTA operations, the subways, the Metro North and the Long Island Road. So you're right, Tom, Your question highlights the fact that we can't expect regional taxpayers to keep pumping money for special deals into the Long Island Road.
Everybody up to one thirty, our John Tucker wants to know when will the talks restart?
Do you start them this morning? Do you have a one day cool off?
Which hotel should Alexis christopherus go protest that?
No?
This is they're going on right now at the MTA headquarters, a couple floors away from where I am speaking to you from Jennall.
Can you just summarize kind of where we are right now in terms what's the differential? What's is there a bids spread that is on wages? What's the real stumbling block right now?
Honestly, Paul, it's not.
I don't know if it's productive for me to get into those details because we're trying to iron something out. But you know, we talked about a little bit yesterday. You know, it's it's wages and benefits and you know, basic basic stuff like that.
You know, I look, Jenno is we're as we're getting ready, and I know you've got to get back to your busy day. I'm using artificial intelligence and here google Gemini General and everything I'm dealing with.
Here's my question to AI this morning.
Was the one hundred and fifty dollars fare to the World Cup? Was that Geno Liber's fault? And here's the answer from AI.
No, you can't pin this one on Channel Liber What a mess?
General discuss just the pr madness of that fair.
Well, the PR is the PR.
But I'll tell you this, I am sympathetic to the folks who run New Jersey Transit, which you know, they they operate a system where they're running on Amtrak railroads and Amtrak infrastructure that.
Has not been maintained.
They have a tough financial situation and they're trying to make sure that they don't get killed because you know, budgetarily, because there's a there's a you know, they got to turn off their system to accommodate soccer fans who come from other countries and are paying a thousand dollars a ticket, so I have a little sympathy for the folks in New Jersey transit. I think it's getting worked out over time.
Well, it's cannonball run this weekend. Come on on World Day weekend, Come on General for you.
We'll try to make sure the cannonball runs.
Tom thank you, General ever, thank you, thank you so much. And is incredibly busy day