Prepare for what may very well be a protracted slog, railroad riders. The MTA’s labor negotiator conceded Monday that hopes of a fast settlement within the Lengthy Island Rail Highway strike might have been “overly optimistic,” leaving commuters alarmed on the prospect of a chronic shutdown. Gary Dellaverson, the transportation authority’s labor counsel, laid out the potential of a drawn-out strike on the nation’s largest commuter railroad throughout a break in talks with union leaders on the primary weekday with out LIRR service. “We continue to have optimism that we can get this done, but it’s not at the same…
