A Long Island Rail Road strike could strand nearly 300,000 commuters starting this weekend as five labor unions and MTA leaders are at odds over wage increases for the union workers.

The looming work stoppage could start as early as 12:01 a.m. Saturday as MTA chief Janno Lieber and Gov. Kathy Hochul this week simply advised riders to work from home if workers walk off the job.

“I want to make sure commuters are not inconvenienced and if they have that option [to work from home], they may have to exercise it,” Hochul said Wednesday at an unrelated event at Jones Beach.

“We do not want to inconvenience commuters, absolutely not, but this is the reality on the ground right now and I want to be very transparent with all them to let them have time to plan for this,” she added.

The ongoing divide comes down to what pay bump workers should receive over the next several years, with union leaders claiming they need higher salaries to keep up with inflation.

The coalition of labor groups and the MTA were meeting Thursday.

“We’re not asking for the moon and stars. We’re asking for an agreement that keeps pace with inflation,” a source at one of the unions involved in the negotiations told The Post Wednesday. “They’re coming up with lump-sum payments rather than putting the money in our wages.”

The sides have agreed on retroactive raises of 3% in 2023, 3% in 2024 and 3.5% in 2025, but remain apart on the unions’ request for a 5% pay raise in 2026.

Gary Dellaverson, the MTA’s lead labor negotiator, said Wednesday that in recent meetings, the authority has offered individual lump-sum payments over the remaining 12 months of the contract rather than the wage increases the unions are seeking.

But union officials argue that lump-sum payments do not raise base pay and would leave workers effectively stuck at 2025 wage levels when the next round of bargaining begins.

But commuters fear they’ll be ones losing out.

“I’d be f—ked,” said Long Island gig worker Jeremy Burd, who needs to travel into the Big Apple to work shows and concerts.

He said a strike might even discourage him from taking on jobs.

“Driving into the city is awful, I’ve done it before, but just to stay sane and not have to sit in 2 hours worth of traffic that could turn into even more if there’s an accident, I’d just turn down the gig,” Burd said while at the Ronkonkoma station Thursday.

Other Long Islanders at Grand Central during the evening rush hour planned on begging their bosses to work from home if a strike starts.

Long Beach local Alexis, who did not want to give her last name, said a strike would be a “nightmare for me.”

Cindy, who uses the Long Beach line, said she was too old to deal with a difficult commute.

“I’m 70-years-old, I’m not dealing with this s—t,” she said.

If a strike takes place, limited shuttle buses would be available to essential workers and those who can’t telecommute on weekdays, according to the MTA.

Hochul said during her press conference the cash-strapped agency needs to strike a deal that “makes sense for taxpayers and commuters.”

“I’m not looking to raise fares or raise taxes, so we need to find a common-sense solution here and I do believe that it requires both sides, both sides, to move from where they are to find a middle ground.”

She also attempted to blame President Trump for the nearing strike after the National Mediation Board released the unions from mediation last year.

“This potential strike was needlessly accelerated by reckless, unprecedented action from the Trump administration. Don’t forget that,” Hochul argued.

“They thwarted the mediation process, which is what the normal course of business would have been and, perhaps, brought us to a better place by now.”

Trump first stepped into the labor dispute in September, delaying any possible work stoppage for at least four months by setting up a Presidential Emergency Board to review the case.