Downtown Brooklyn businesses anxious over looming LIRR strike
The shutdown comes after weeks of tense negotiations between the MTA and union leaders — a conflict News 12 has been tracking closely.
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Businesses surrounding Brooklyn’s Atlantic Terminal say they’re bracing for a major financial hit as a potential strike on the Long Island Rail Road looms.
The shutdown comes after weeks of tense negotiations between the MTA and union leaders — a conflict News 12 has been tracking closely, including earlier reports where the MTA warned that a strike would create “significant regional disruption” and union representatives insisted they were “prepared to stand firm” on contract demands.
From the street vendors outside the terminal to the restaurants and small shops lining Atlantic Avenue, the anxiety is growing. Many rely heavily on the 300,000 daily riders who pass through the LIRR system — a mix of white‑ and blue‑collar commuters whose absence would be felt immediately.
Greg Yerman, owner of Burrito Bar, says the uncertainty is already affecting business planning.
“The more feet on the street, the more exposure we get, the busier we are. A lot of our customers live in different boroughs on the island, and if they can’t get here, it affects our business,” Yerman says.
He says his business has been operating for 20 years in Downtown Brooklyn and does not recall any strikes taking place during that time, adding he is not eager to find out the exact effects it will have on the community of restaurants and small businesses in the area.
The concerns echo what commuters told News 12 in earlier coverage, when riders said a shutdown would leave them “scrambling for alternatives.”
News 12 has reached out to the Flatbush Avenue BID and the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership for comment on the potential economic impact. News 12 is waiting on a response from the Flatbush Avenue Bid, while the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership declined to comment.
The MTA says LIRR service would halt beginning Saturday if a strike were to be called.
