Gov. Kathy Hochul and the MTA largely caved to striking Long Island Rail Road union workers, labor experts said Tuesday — even as the state’s top Democrat insisted the new agreement won’t financially crush taxpayers.

Members of the five unions clinched a 4.5% pay hike this year after 3,500 of them walked off the job Saturday, launching a three-day strike that fueled chaotic travel for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, sources said.

The raise was only slightly less than the 5% salary jump the employees, including engineers and signal workers, had been pushing for as part of the contract negotiations. 

“Governor Hochul tried to break the LIRR unions,” said Transport Workers Union President John Samuelsen, who was not involved in the negotiations.  “They broke her. The workers beat her.”

Neither side publicly revealed details of the deal, which Hochul triumphantly announced Monday night — claiming she held out to guarantee it wouldn’t result in tax or fare spikes for New Yorkers.

“At a time where everything is going up, I was not going to allow taxes or fares to go up. And that’s why we stood firm for a deal that would not require any additional fare increases or tax increases,” she said.

The sides had already agreed to retroactive raises of 3% in 2023, 3% in 2024 and 3.5% in 2025, but took some time to reach the 4.5% figure for 2026.  

Workers also clinched a $3,000 lump sum payment – but won’t be paid to take a 16-hour computer-based training course in one concession the MTA achieved, according to NY1.

The contract was also extended six weeks so it won’t expire until August 2027, an editor with labor publication The Chief posted on X.   

The agreement will need to be ratified by union members, but by Tuesday’s evening rush hour, trains were running full steam again after phased-in service got underway at noon.

LIRR President Rob Free attempted to paint a rosy picture of the final agreement during a press conference Tuesday morning while facing questions about what the MTA achieved from the brutal work stoppage.

“Through negotiations we were able to find a common ground to come to an agreement,” Free said.

“A contract they feel [union members] can ratify and something we know wouldn’t cause a financial burden to the taxpayers and the riders.”

He also said there were “factors within the contract that were worked on to make it more affordable.”

But Rutgers University associate labor and employment relations professor William Dwyer said the deal was a “pretty rich outcome” for the unions.

“Much richer than what I would’ve expected,” he told The Post. “So from that perspective I would say the union made out pretty well.”

Dwyer noted there weren’t any major concessions on work flexibility or work rules. Right now, a train worker is paid double for operating a diesel train and electric train in the same shift, according to the New York Times. 

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Still, he said that if the MTA can really avoid a fare hike, management can also consider the agreement a win.

Labor historian Josh Freeman called the end result a “strong win” for the workers.

“The governor realized she was in an uncomfortable position when the strike began,” said Freeman, a professor emeritus at the CUNY Graduate Center.

“The strike put her in a difficult position.”

A source within one of the labor unions said the employees were stunned they were even forced to strike, claiming MTA officials threw other demands on the table at the 11th hour.

The MTA wanted to only give a raise of around 3% for this year, which would have been the last of the contract, while the unions were steadfast on a something closer to a 5% hike, the source said Tuesday.

The MTA also floated a lump sum payment in the final year of the deal, the source previously told The Post. 

Members of the five unions — who altogether represent about half the LIRR workforce — had last received raises in 2022.

While the deal between the cash-strapped agency and workers ends a painful chapter for commuters, the agreement could have implications when the MTA begins negotiating with other labor unions across the region.

The TWU will use the 4.5% spike that LIRR workers clinched as a “starting point” in their upcoming back-and-forth with the MTA, said Samuelsen, the head of the powerful labor group.

“The unions are absolute winners. They went from a zero to a 4.5% increase,” said Samuelsen, referring to the LIRR unions getting the salary increase and not the lump sum in the fourth year of the contract.

But Manhattan Institute fellow Ken Girardin didn’t think the unions should be celebrating because they ultimately didn’t grab the 5% raise they demanded.  

“The unions burned through public sentiment. They permanently altered the public sentiment against them,” said Girardin, who added he gave Hochul “high marks” leading up to the strike.

“Governor Hochul did a lot right,” he said. “If you’re not willing to risk a strike, you’re negotiating a surrender.”

Hochul, who is up for re-election in November, had repeatedly said she would not sign off on a deal that raised taxes or fares.

Riders exiting the train at the Ronkonkoma station Tuesday evening were hard pressed to believe the governor’s guarantee.

“She’s going to say that for the time being, you know, until that changes,” said Gianna G. while Ryan, who did not want to give his last name added, “I don’t know about that. I have to see it to believe it.”

Ultimately, riders were glad that the railroad — which carries about 270,000 people a day — was back on track. 

“Definitely, definitely,” said city government worker and Queens resident Michelle, 55, as she left Penn Station. “The last few days getting into work was a nightmare.”

— Additional reporting by Vaughn Golden and Ella Morrison