ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s work to avert a strike on the nation’s largest commuter rail system won praise from commuters and political observers alike — while playing nicely into his aggressively cultivated image as a pragmatist skilled at managing chaos.

The Democratic governor intervened Wednesday night, just days before a threatened strike on the Long Island Rail Road was set to paralyze the New York City metropolitan area. The deal he announced Thursday will give workers 17 percent raises over six and a half years but also require them to contribute to their health insurance costs for the first time. It won’t require a fare hike.