Train engineers with New Jersey Transit went on strike at 12:01 a.m. Friday, bringing to a halt one of the largest public transport systems in the country. An estimated 350,000 commuters are affected, particularly those going from New Jersey into New York. The strike also affects New York’s Metro North West of Hudson service. Amtrak and PATH trains are still running.
Speaking on CNN Friday, New York Mayor Eric Adams laid out how the city has prepared for this eventuality. “We are going to utilize our Notify NYC to keep people up to date on the continuous movement and negotiations and what will happen if there is a major impact on transportation, traffic mitigations, systems are being put in place right now,” Adams said on the Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. “So our teams are meeting and we’re ready.” Notify NYC is the city’s dedicated emergency public communications program, which can be accessed via website or app. A notification sent out this morning said that NJ Transit tickets would be “cross-honored” on buses and light rail services operated by the same service, stating also that “travelers should expect significant delays and are strongly advised to avoid non-essential travel and work remotely if possible.”
Each side is blaming the other for the current impasse between the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and management at NJ Transit. The union has stated that its members earn an average salary of $113,000, having worked without a new contract since 2019, and are seeking to raise that to $170,000. NJ Transit has disputed BLET’s claim, stating that engineers earn an average of $135,000 annually. NJ Transit has gone from 500 engineers to around 450 over the past year, as the workforce finds more competitive pay with other railroads. “NJT’s engineers make at least $10 less per hour than engineers who work for passenger railroads that share the same train platforms as NJ Transit,” BLET claims in a statement in their website.
NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri has claimed that the resources to meet labor’s demands are simply not available “I cannot keep giving money left and right to solve a problem,” she said in a press conference last Friday. “It all comes down to, who is going to pay for this? Money does not grow on trees.” The union flatly rejects the premise. “NJ Transit has a half-billion dollars for a swanky new headquarters and $53 million for decorating the interior of that unnecessary building. They gave away $20 million in revenue during a fare holiday last year,” said BLET National President Mark Wallace in a statement. “They have money for penthouse views and pet projects, just not for their front-line workers.”
Negotiations are set to resume Sunday, when the two parties are set to meet again in Washington D.C. with the National Mediation Board.
