North America's largest commuter rail system ground to a halt on Saturday after unionized workers in the New York City area decided that their labor disputes were more important than your weekend baseball plans. The Long Island Rail Road, which serves the city's eastern suburbs, ceased operations early Saturday morning after five unions representing about half its workforce walked off the job.

The two sides have been negotiating for months on a new contract, and even the Trump administration tried to broker a deal - because nothing says 'impartial mediator' like a former reality TV star. But the unions were legally allowed to strike starting at 12:01am on Saturday, and they took that permission and ran with it.

Kevin Sexton, national vice-president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said no new negotiations have been scheduled. "We're far apart at this point," Sexton said early on Saturday, adding, "We are truly sorry that we are in this situation." Sorry enough to not strike? Evidently not.

Janno Lieber, the MTA chairman, issued a statement saying "this was not the result we were looking for" but that "we cannot and will not do a deal that shifts huge costs to our riders by forcing fare hikes." He claimed the agency's last offer "gave the union everything they said they wanted in terms of pay" and that it was "apparent that these unions always intended to strike." Because nothing says 'good faith bargaining' like premeditated walkouts.

The walkout, the first for the LIRR since a two-day strike in 1994, promises to cause headaches for sports fans planning to see the crosstown baseball rivals the New York Yankees and Mets battle this weekend or watch the NBA's New York Knicks playoff run at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. Both venues have dedicated LIRR stops, because apparently the universe has a sense of humor about public transit disruptions.

If the shutdown continues past the weekend, the roughly 250,000 people who ride the system to and from work each weekday will be forced to find alternative routes into New York City from its Long Island suburbs. For many, that likely means navigating the region's notoriously congested roads - because nothing says 'quality of life' like sitting in traffic for three hours.

New York's governor, Kathy Hochul, said in a statement that the unions' demands could "raise fares as much as 8%, pit workers against one another and risk tax hikes for Long Islanders." She added, "I stand with the LIRR riders and will fight to preserve the long-term stability of the MTA. I believe a deal can be done and I urge both the MTA and these unions to return to the table and bargain non-stop until a deal is reached." Hochul, who is up for re-election this year, is clearly aware that angry commuters vote.

Gil Lang, the general chair of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen's LIRR general committee, said: "To every LIRR passenger whose trip is disrupted, know that the MTA left us no choice but to strike." Because blaming the other side is always a great look when you're inconveniencing a quarter-million people.

The MTA has said it will provide free limited shuttle buses on weekdays to New York City subway stations, but that contingency plan wasn't envisioned to handle all the riders the system normally carries on a workday. The MTA is also encouraging those who can to work from home and avoid nonessential travel - because 'work from home' is definitely an option for essential workers and people who don't have that luxury.

The most recent contract talks have stalled on the question of workers' salaries and health care premiums. The MTA has said the unions' initial demands would have led to fare increases and affected contract negotiations with other unionized workers. The unions, which represent locomotive engineers, machinists, signalmen and other train workers, have said more substantial raises were warranted to help workers keep up with inflation and rising living costs - because apparently inflation affects everyone except MTA executives.

But Gerard Bringmann, chair of the LIRR Commuter Council, a rider advocacy group, said that if the unions get the pay increases they are looking for, "it will come at the expense of our riders who will see next year's 4% fare increase doubled to 8%." He added, "Like the union workers, we too are burdened by the increase in the cost of living here on Long Island." So everyone is burdened by inflation, but only some people get to strike about it.

With Hochul facing re-election later this year, the pressure might be on the MTA to strike a deal to end the shutdown, said William Dwyer, a labor relations expert at Rutgers University in New Jersey, where commuter rail workers staged a three-day strike last year. "She's up for re-election, and Long Island is a critical vote for her," he said. "So if there's a significant fare hike, that does not bode well for her on election day." In other words, expect a deal just in time for the campaign season.