The Long Island Rail Road's largest union voted Monday to authorize a potential strike, but officials say it will not start later this week as planned. 

Three of the five unions that represent the more than 3,000 LIRR workers had already voted to walk off the job at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, if there wasn't a deal. The work stoppage, if it does eventually happen, could impact nearly 300,000 commuters. 

Now, union representatives say they have requested a Presidential Emergency Mediation Board to weigh in, which will delay the timeline by several months. 

"This request by the unions is a first, but we need to move the contract disputes to a settlement and still support the riding public that supports us," said Jim Lewis, vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers National.

If accepted, the board would be formed by Thursday and make recommendations by mid-October, with the process wrapping up in May 2026.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority responded with a statement Monday afternoon, saying the unions "never had a plan to resolve this at the bargaining table."

"If these unions wanted to put riders first, they would either settle or agree to binding arbitration. And if they don't want to strike, they should say so -- and finally show up to the negotiating table. This cynical delay serves no one," the MTA statement continued. 

"LIRR commuters can breathe a sigh of relief that there will not be a strike for the foreseeable future, following today's request for a Presidential Emergency Board from LIRR Bargaining Coalition union leaders. This action opens the door for discourse, dialogue, and discussion on how to achieve an outcome that best meets the needs of the riding public, railroad workers, and the LIRR. Avoiding the chaos and economic fallout of a strike is a win for LIRR riders, and we expect that with time and mediation, both sides will come to a reasonable agreement,"  said Lisa Daglian of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA.

"I think this is a great win for riders, and the unions are doing the right thing, but I also blame the MTA for not negotiating with the union in good faith," said Charlton D'Souza, of the advocacy group Passengers United.

LIRR's biggest union votes to authorize strike

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, the country's biggest rail union, is calling for a 16% wage increase over the next three years, but the MTA's current offer is 9.5%. The union said it's asking for a 3% raise for the first two years, 3.5% for a third and 6.5% for a fourth, but that negotiations have broken down regarding the fourth. 

The BLET joined representatives from the LIRR Bargaining Coalition to announce the results of Monday's authorization vote.   

"The MTA can afford it, and now it's time for them to take care of their workforce," said BLET Vice General Chairman James Sokolowski, who went on to explain the fourth year would "make up the difference in the cost of living in the area in which the employees live."

"There is a fair offer on the table, and I have directed the MTA to be ready to negotiate anytime, anywhere. Unfortunately, five unions have refused to come to the table in good faith and rejected binding arbitration, putting riders at risk of an unnecessary strike," Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement earlier Monday before the unions made their announcement. "Both sides must return to negotiations and keep working around the clock until this is resolved."

Potential LIRR strike has President Trump's attention

The unions, MTA and governor all had the option to call for a Presidential Emergency Mediation Board to intervene. 

In her statement, Hochul blamed President Trump for the stalled negotiations, suggesting the board's decision to release the unions and LIRR from mediation was his administration's decision. 

"The reckless actions of the Trump administration's National Mediation Board pushed this dispute toward a strike instead of keeping talks on track. Make no mistake, this is a strike encouraged by Donald Trump and enabled by his allies in Washington," her statement read in part, continuing, "The Trump administration can prevent this right now by ordering both sides back to mediation."

The union representatives who spoke Monday urged the governor not to make this a political matter with the president.

CBS News New York has reached out to the White House for a response. Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says the president is watching the situation closely. 

"He wants to make sure we can make sure that labor and management can come to agreements, and everyone has to be treated fairly, there has to be fair deals," Duffy said Monday at an unrelated event in New Jersey. "We don't want labor taking advantage of management, or vice versa, management taking advantage of labor."

"It would just be total chaos"

The MTA has announced contingency plans in the event of a strike, including bus service bridging the gap between select LIRR stations and subway stops, which officials say would run every 10 minutes.

Gerard Bringmann, the head of the LIRR Commuter Council, who had urged both parties to go back to the bargaining table, said the MTA's contingency plans were inadequate.

"No, the majority of people can't work from home. The majority of people have to be in, have to be on site," Bringmann said.

Riders said they were bracing for the worst. 

"I'm praying that they don't have a strike. So many people on Long Island rely on the Long Island Rail Road to get into the city, and if we had to rely on the shuttle buses, it would just be total chaos," rider Marie Drexler said. 

"The shuttle bus is a couple towns over from where I live on Long Island, so I would probably have to Uber there, and then take the shuttle bus, and then take the subway from Jamaica," said rider Chris Yates. 

LIRR service and the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black

Meanwhile, LIRR President Rob Free urged the union to weigh all options, considering the upcoming Ryder Cup, which begins on Sept. 26. 

Officials say a quarter of a million golf fans, including Mr. Trump, are expected to attend the event at Bethpage State Park in Nassau County, and nearly half of them are expected to take the train.