Brothers and Sisters,
I am certain by now that most of you have seen the headlines. Your leadership, along with our labor coalition partners, have decided to request a Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) from the White House. Rarely do labor organizations request PEBs but in this case it is the prudent thing to do. The LIRR and MTA have deliberately attempted to bate us into a strike during these early phases of the process. While our frustrations are real and our cause is just, striking at this moment would do more harm than good. A strike could jeopardize public support, strain our members financially, and would give the LIRR and MTA another excuse not to engage in productive discussions (a copy of my statement to the press yesterday is here).
I want to thank all of you for your overwhelming support throughout this process and a special thanks for your authorization of a legal strike should it be deemed necessary by your leadership.
As we enter into the next 120-day cooling off period and await the formation of the PEB, our labor coalition remains steadfast and united towards our goal of getting all of you the fair contract you deserve.
We are stronger when we are strategic and right now patience and unity with our coalition partners at the table will serve us far better than walking off the job.
In Solidarity,
Jeffrey Klein,
General Chairman
IBEW L.U. 589