Having reached an impasse in negotiations for a new contract, the head of a Long Island Rail Road union representing more than 1,300 workers is calling for members to vote on a strike. MTA officials and railway law experts said the move was premature and it could be years before workers legally walked off the job.

In a letter obtained by Newsday, Artie Maratea, national president of the Transportation Communications Union/International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (TCU/IAM), citing a “standstill in bargaining with the LIRR,” directed local union leaders to hold a strike vote by Aug. 15. Maratea said in the letter that the move is necessary to “obtain a fair settlement” from the LIRR and to defend workers from “any adverse action” from management.

Alfonso A. Castillo reports in NEWSDAY that the call for a strike vote comes while the union and several others remain deadlocked in negotiations with railroad management over a new deal.

The unions have rejected an offer for a three-year contract with 9.5% in raises, similar to terms already accepted by other labor organizations at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority — the railroad’s parent organization — including unions representing more than half of LIRR workers, according to the MTA.

The TCU/IAM, which represents several types of workers including ticket agents, and other unions have called for higher raises that they say are in line with those offered by other railroads throughout the United States.

Although Maratea called for the vote to be taken “as soon as possible,” a legal work stoppage could only come at the end of a complex, federally regulated procedure that could take years to conclude, and involve intervention from the White House. Both the unions and LIRR management would have to first be released from federal mediation, which could take years, experts said.

In a statement, John McCarthy, chief of policy and external relations for the MTA, said “there is no near-term risk” of a strike.

It’s been 31 years since LIRR unions last went on strike — a three-day work stoppage that began on Friday June 17, 1994, and was resolved in time for the Monday morning rush hour.

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St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Riverhead hosted its 65th Annual Chicken barbecue Sunday. Denise Civiletti reports on Riverheadlocal.com that over 1,000 people enjoyed the dinner and activities over the course of the day, said Rev. Bohdan Hedz, pastor of the church.

“Since 2022, the year of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, all profits from our annual chicken barbecue go to support our humanitarian aid mission to Ukraine. Our aid mission started long before 2022,” he noted, “because the war in Ukraine started in 2014 with the illegal land grab of Crimea and portions of eastern Ukraine by Russia,” said Rev. Hedz. The majority of funds help the church with shipping costs of donations to Ukraine, he said. Hedz estimated that since 2022, the church has been able to collect and ship approximately 60 tons of humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Pastor and parishioners are devoted to supporting the people of Ukraine with humanitarian aid and support. “We are blessed to be able to continue this event that became a staple for our local —and not only local — community,” Hedz said. “We are blessed with a younger generation of parishioners who are stepping in so our annual chicken barbecue can continue in the future,” he said. St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church, 820 Pond View Road in Riverhead, celebrated its 100th anniversary last year. Its congregants are drawn from communities across the East End and beyond. The church continues to fulfill its founding purpose: to provide a house of worship and community for Ukrainian immigrants.

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The Riverhead Town Board voted unanimously yesterday to hold a public hearing to discuss a one year moratorium on new cannabis businesses after a NYS Supreme Court judge ruled key aspects of the town’s cannabis zoning law invalid last week. Alek Lewis reports on Riverheadlocal.com that the board set an Aug. 19 public hearing on a local law imposing the moratorium. The measure would exclude projects that already have approvals and would establish a process allowing the Riverhead Town Board to grant exemptions on a case-by-case basis. The proposed moratorium follows a ruling last week in a State Supreme Court case brought by a cannabis licensee who was denied a building permit due to local zoning laws. The judge found the town’s 1,000-foot buffer between cannabis businesses and any residential use, along with its exemption for properties fronting five designated “commercial corridors,” violates New York State law, which mandates that zoning regulations must be applied uniformly. The judge also ruled the town code’s 2,500-foot minimum distance between dispensaries is preempted by state regulations, which only require a 1,000-foot buffer between them.

The legislative intent of the moratorium also cites a “significant amount of public concern…regarding the quantity, location and proximity of” cannabis businesses within the town “asserting that operation of this type of land use will pose a threat to the health, safety and welfare of the public.” Residents have voiced opposition to cannabis businesses at recent public meetings.

According to the legislative intent, the moratorium would give the town time to prevent new dispensaries from opening “while these issues are further considered and the law is adequately revised to address any outstanding concerns.”

The moratorium would not apply to cannabis businesses that have already received approvals. Two dispensaries — Strain Stars in Riverhead and Beleaf in Calverton — are already in operation.

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The woman found dead onboard a boat in Montauk early yesterday morning was identified by authorities as a beloved local designer from Manhattan who spent her summers working on the East End. Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra was found unconscious on a vessel docked at the Montauk Yacht Club at approximately 12 a.m. Tuesday, according to Suffolk County police. Shane Galvin, Alex Mitchell and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon report in THE NY POST that the 33-year-old, who went by Martha Nolan professionally and in social circles, was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. Her cause of death is still under investigation and will be determined by the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office. Members of the Montauk Yacht Club, including some captains, heard screaming from the docks late Monday, one club member told The Post. Another anonymous member of the yacht club remembered Nolan fondly. “She was well known in the community. She was very friendly. Always smiling,” the person said, adding, “There’s going to be a lot of conversation out of this.” Nolan was a marketing consultant, entrepreneur, and founder of fashion brand East x East, according to her LinkedIn. The Ireland native moved to the US at the age of 26 and started launching pop-ups with her summerwear brand East x East in the Hamptons in 2023, she told the Irish Independent in a profile last year. Montauk residents told The Post that Nolan had a reputation for being incredibly kind and was always equipped with a bright smile. Just last month the businesswoman celebrated a pop-up shop at Montauk’s exclusive spa, the Gurney’s Resort. “Goals Achieved,” she captioned in a July 1 post on TikTok that showed off her swim-, eye-, and resort wear at the club.

Crime scene investigators remained at the Montauk Yacht Club late into darkness with a van from the Suffolk County Crime Laboratory and a command post parked past 9 o'clock last night. The Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad is investigating the incident. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Homicide Squad detectives at 631-852-6392.

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A Southampton Town Sustainability Committee Panel discussion is scheduled for this coming Saturday, August 9, at the Hampton Library in Bridgehampton…beginning at 10am on the library's North Lawn. Learn what you can do NOW to safeguard our air, water, and collective health. LIVELY DISCUSSION AND Q&A WILL BE ENCOURAGED!

Suffolk County Legislator Ann Welker will moderate the discussion. The panel includes local builder John Barrows will speak on sustainable construction strategies and home upgrades, Mecox Bay Conservancy Executive Director Jay Schneiderman will talk about improving local water quality, and Paul Wagner of tree, shrub and lawn care company Greener Pastures Organics in Southampton will share organic alternatives to chemical fertilizers and pesticides as well as smart irrigation techniques.

All are welcome, admission is free.

Register on the Hampton Library website myhamptonlibrary.org

That’s this coming Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Hampton Library in Bridgehampton.

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A parade of speakers recently sent a message to the East Hampton Village Board about three recent code changes impacting Latino workers: Fine the homeowners or employers, not the workers. A village prosecutor, though, suggested it might not be that easy. Jack Motz reports on 27east.com that the first law, passed in February, established a registry that requires contractors to pay $250 annually to register, plus $10 per vehicle. The registry expires at the end of each year. The second change established a similar registry for landscapers, who have to pay to enroll at the same rate. The idea behind the registries is to ensure understanding and compliance with village laws, including its noise ordinances. The East Hampton Village Board recently took aim at noise, in part by limiting the times at which workers can do construction and repair work. The fines increase from a starting point of $250, up to a maximum of $5,000 for multiple offenses.

The laws require violators to personally appear in East Hampton Town Justice Court, as the village does not have its own justice court.

At the center of the conversation is a question of what the East Hampton Village Board could do to better reach the large population of Spanish-speaking laborers that frequent the village. A municipality is not legally bound to undertake any community outreach for a change of law, outside ensuring it is approved in a public meeting.

Organización Latino Americana {OLA} Legal Advocate Erika Padilla offered a ground-level assessment.

On behalf of OLA, Padilla has been sitting in East Hampton Town Justice Court for the workers' appearances.

“I’ve seen the faces of these people,” Padilla said. “They’re so afraid to go into court, especially with what’s happening now with ICE, and I never understood why they had to go to court and they weren’t given the option to pay the ticket just by going to the window or going online.”

Later in the meeting, Biddle Duke, a Springs resident, took to the lectern to make a similar point.

“I just want to emphasize a few points that have been made, but maybe not as directly as I would like,” Duke said. “Fining the people holding the equipment and having them go to court, in my opinion, doesn’t make sense, even if that fine is being paid by their employer or by the homeowner, because ultimately the worker is going to do what they’re told to do.”

Duke asked the East Hampton Village Board to find a way to fine the contractor and hold them accountable.