Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman called for suspending the $9 congestion pricing toll for motorists crossing into core Manhattan during the Long Island Rail Road strike.

Blakeman, who is now serving as the Nassau County executive, also supports legislation introduced by Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Garden City) that would suspend the congestion toll during any future strike by workers with NYC Transit, Metro-North and LIRR.

“I think we should get rid of it altogether,” Blakeman said about the controversial toll.

“But all I’m saying is suspend it when there is a situation where there is no service provided,” he said, referring to the LIRR strike.

Ra said the strike has paralyzed LIRR, the largest commuter rail in the country, which will force residents of the island to drive into Manhattan for work.

“People don’t have the option of taking the railroad, and shouldn’t be subject to the congestion pricing tax,” Ra said.

Gov. Kathy Hochul claimed it wasn’t possible to pause the toll.

 “No, there’s actually no legal mechanism to do that. Anyone who tells you they can doesn’t understand federal law,” Hochul said at a press conference, where she and transit leaders pushed alternative transit plans for Monday’s commute.

The Democrat continued to suggest people should work from home if possible.

“And I want to stress, what we’re encouraging people to do is to stay home,” Hochul said. “Not to divert this into a campaign event. This is serious business, and I want to make sure people know that we hope to have a very shortened strike. And we are prepared for whatever happens.”

Congestion pricing was established in state law by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the legislature, but wasn’t implemented until January 2025.

Hochul initially paused and then revised the congestion toll in 2024 and the MTA approved and implemented it last year.

Under state law, New York City transit workers are barred from striking. The Transport Workers Union could face stiff fines and loss of automatic dues collection from members’ paychecks if it engages in an illegal strike, which is what happened during the two-day illegal strike in 2005.

But the LIRR unions are covered by federal law and can strike without penalty.

The walkout on North America’s largest commuter rail line commenced at 12:01 a.m. Saturday — after negotiations over a new contract were stalled by workers’ salaries and healthcare costs, with no clear timeline for a return to the bargaining table.

MTA Chairman Janno Lieber argued that labor leaders walked away from a final proposal that “literally gave them everything they said they wanted in terms of pay.”

The stalemate disrupts the commutes of roughly 300,000 daily riders. 

“For me, it’s become apparent that these unions always intended to strike,” he said. “Their strategy is to inconvenience Long Islanders and try to force the MTA and the state to do a bad deal.”

Union representatives countered that they exhausted all options before declaring the strike, claiming they need higher salaries to keep up with inflation.

The five striking unions, representing half the railroad’s staff, are reportedly seeking a retroactive 9.5% wage increase covering the past three years.

The package mirrors the deals the MTA offered other unions in recent months. However, the LIRR unions also want a 5% hike for the current year, too, which the agency rejected and countered with a 3% increase and a lump-sum payment it claims brings the total to 4.5%.

The MTA also noted that median salaries for the striking workers topped $136,000 last year, making them the best-compensated rail employees in the nation.

Including healthcare and other benefits, their average total compensation exceeds $200,000, the MTA said.

LIRR riders will be offered free shuttle buses between six locations on Long Island and two subway stations in Queens starting on Monday, but the plan fails to accommodate all riders and snarled their Sunday travel plans. 

The new bill from Assemblyman Ra bill would also require the MTA — the parent agency overseeing the LIRR, NYC Transit and Metro-North — to return any charges collected from monthly ticket holders for business days when service is interrupted by a strike.