Gov. Hochul pushed the Long Island Rail Road strike largely to throw shade on Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and pick up votes from the Republican gubernatorial front-runner on his home turf, the head of a top transit union told The Post.
“I don’t think it’s any coincidence that she’s doing this right in his backyard,” said John Samuelsen, the International President of the Transport Workers Union.
“She believes that she can get a leg up in Nassau and Suffolk County by triggering a strike and then allowing the blame to be cast on Blakeman and the Republicans.”
Samuelsen – whose union’s Local 100 represents 40,000 subway and bus workers also in contract talks – blames Hochul and her cronies at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for the strike by five LIRR unions.
He also said her inability to stop the strike could affect not only her re-election campaign but also other races for Dems this November.
“I believe that if the Democrats don’t start calling Kathy Hochul out on her behavior and her anti-trade-union ethos, they may very well pay the price,” said Samuelsen, whose union has not endorsed any candidate for governor.
The labor leader also ripped the Hochul-controlled MTA for refusing to follow the recommendations of two federal panels that would have prevented a strike and for tapping Gary Dellaverson as the MTA’s chief negotiator in ithe labor talks.
Dellaverson served as the MTA’s chief labor negotiator in 2005 during highly contentious contract disputes with TWU Local 100 that led to an illegal walkout that paralyzed NYC’s subways and buses for three days during the December holiday season.
“I do believe [the] hiring of Dellaverson has gone underreported,” said Samuelsen. “It was foreshadowing of things to come because exactly what went down in 2026 with the [LIRR] went down in 2005 because of . . . this guy.”
Hochul spokesperson Gordon Tepper said Samuelsen “has no role in these negotiations, and New Yorkers should view his political commentary accordingly.”
“This is about protecting riders and taxpayers,” said Tepper. “Gov. Hochul directed the MTA to offer fair options to LIRR workers without driving up fares or taxes for Long Islanders, and that is what they have done . . . Everyone should be focused on getting both sides back to the table.”
