Why Union workers need to stop being so demanding.

So, basically union workers are creating a hassle for all LIRR passengers. They are leaving the MTA board no choice but to provide coach buses for the possibility of a strike. The coach buses, being a good idea for LIRR commuters who do not have other means of transportation, will delay passengers because they are still on the road and have to deal with things like traffic. The LIRR Wikipedia change has not been edited since 2008 and quite frankly neglected by the public. Here's said Wikipedia page mentioning LIRR issues that do not represent current changes.

The LIRR has a long history of rocky relations with its passengers,[20] especially daily commuters.[21] Various commuter advocacy groups have been formed to try to represent those interests, in addition to the state mandated LIRR Commuters Council.[22] One criticism of the LIRR is that it has not improved service to the "east end" of Long Island as the twin forks continue to grow in popularity as a year round tourist and residential destination. Demand is evidenced by flourishing for-profit bus services such as the Hampton Jitney and the Hampton Luxury Liner and the early formative stages of a new East End Transportation Authority.[23] Local politicians have joined the public outcry for the LIRR to either improve the frequency of east end services, or turn the operation over to a local transportation authority. Critics claim that the on-time performance (OTP) calculated by the LIRR is manipulated to be artificially high. Because the LIRR does not release any raw timing data nor does it have independent (non-MTA) audits it is impossible to verify this claim, or the accuracy of the current On Time Performance measurement. The "percentage" measure is used by many other US passenger railroads but the criticism over accuracy is specific to the LIRR. As defined by the LIRR, a train is "on time" if it arrives at a station within 5 minutes and 59 seconds of the scheduled time.[24] The criterion was 4 minutes and 59 seconds until the LIRR changed it because of a bug in their computer systems.[25] Critics[26] believe the OTP measure does not reflect what commuters experience on a daily basis. The LIRR publishes the current OTP in a monthly booklet called TrainTalk.[27] TrainTalk was previously known as "Keeping Track." A more accurate way to measure delays and OTP has been proposed.[28] Called the "Passenger Hours Delayed" index it can measure total person-hours of a specific delay. This would be useful in comparing performance of specific days or incidents, day-to-day (or week-to-week) periods, something the current measure cannot do. This 'PHD' index measure is used by some transportation research organizations and would be more meaningful to commuters. As of July 2009 it has not been adopted. The two methods are not mutually exclusive and could be kept and published simultaneously. 2007 ridership was 86.1 million, up 4.9% over 2006. The all time highest ridership was 91.8 million in 1949.[29]

As of February 2014, an MTA board meeting was held about authorizing private buses to shuttle LIRR workers, if they decide to strike. The panel voted 8-4, in favor of the private buses. Many unions representing 5,300 workers have been without a contract for over three years. Union workers have said there will be a strike if they don't have a new contract in hand by July. Transit officials have stated the coach buses can only transport 285,000 passengers daily. Here's the edited passage with some contemporary updates by yours truly.

The LIRR has a long history of rocky relations with its passengers,[20] especially daily commuters.[21] Various commuter advocacy groups have been formed to try to represent those interests, in addition to the state mandated LIRR Commuters Council.[22] One criticism of the LIRR is that it has not improved service to the "east end" of Long Island as the twin forks continue to grow in popularity as a year round tourist and residential destination. Demand is evidenced by flourishing for-profit bus services such as the Hampton Jitney and the Hampton Luxury Liner and the early formative stages of a new East End Transportation Authority.[23] Local politicians have joined the public outcry for the LIRR to either improve the frequency of east end services, or turn the operation over to a local transportation authority. Critics claim that the on-time performance (OTP) calculated by the LIRR is manipulated to be artificially high. Because the LIRR does not release any raw timing data nor does it have independent (non-MTA) audits it is impossible to verify this claim, or the accuracy of the current On Time Performance measurement. The "percentage" measure is used by many other US passenger railroads but the criticism over accuracy is specific to the LIRR. As defined by the LIRR, a train is "on time" if it arrives at a station within 5 minutes and 59 seconds of the scheduled time.[24] The criterion was 4 minutes and 59 seconds until the LIRR changed it because of a bug in their computer systems.[25] Critics[26] believe the OTP measure does not reflect what commuters experience on a daily basis. The LIRR publishes the current OTP in a monthly booklet called TrainTalk.[27] TrainTalk was previously known as "Keeping Track." A more accurate way to measure delays and OTP has been proposed.[28] Called the "Passenger Hours Delayed" index it can measure total person-hours of a specific delay. This would be useful in comparing performance of specific days or incidents, day-to-day (or week-to-week) periods, something the current measure cannot do. This 'PHD' index measure is used by some transportation research organizations and would be more meaningful to commuters. As of July 2009 it has not been adopted. The two methods are not mutually exclusive and could be kept and published simultaneously. 2007 ridership was 86.1 million, up 4.9% over 2006. The all time highest ridership was 91.8 million in 1949.[29] As of February 2014, an MTA board meeting was held about authorizing private buses to shuttle LIRR workers, if they decide to strike. The panel voted 8-4, in favor of the private buses. Many unions representing 5,300 workers have been without a contract for over three years. Union workers have said there will be a strike if they don't have a new contract in hand by July. Transit officials have stated the coach buses can only transport 285,000 passengers daily.

The MTA board is still finalizing the details of the private buses, if the strike is to happen.