NJ Transit engineers are preparing to walk off the job on Friday amid ongoing negotiations between their union and the massive commuter agency, potentially disrupting daily commutes for some 350,000 riders who work in New Jersey and New York City.
The Context
NJ Transit is the third largest transit system in the country and operates buses and trains throughout the state and in New York City.
According to the Associated Press (AP), the agency runs almost 1 million trips every weekday. The potential rail strike also looms against the backdrop of massive disruptions at Newark Liberty International Airport, where scores of flights have been delayed or canceled due to runway construction, radar outages and a huge shortage of air traffic controllers.
What To Know
NJ Transit is in talks with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) over workers’ demands for higher wages and improved working conditions.
According to the AP, the union says its members make an average salary of $113,000 and is pushing for NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri to agree on an increase to $170,000.
But agency executives contested that claim, saying its engineers earn an average total of $135,000 per year, with the highest earners making more than $200,000.
BLET has said its members are prepared to walk off the job at 12:01 a.m. Friday if a deal isn’t reached by then.
Who Could Be Affected by a Strike?
NJ Transit commuter trains travel between communities in north Jersey and New York City’s Penn Station and also provide service to Newark airport.
The agency is already preparing for disruptions as a result of a walkout, saying it plans to increase its bus services by adding “very limited” accommodations to its commuter bus routes to New York.
NJ Transit said that in developing its contingency plans, it focused its resources on the “largest segment of its rail customer base—the more than 70,000 New York-bound customers, including customers who transfer from NJ TRANSIT rail to PATH trains at Hoboken Terminal and Newark Penn Station.”
The commuter agency also said it will work with private carriers to operate its bus service from regional locations during peak commuting times on weekdays.
Officials have cautioned, however, that the buses won’t be able to handle anywhere close to the same number of passengers—around 20 percent of the current number of rail customers—and is urging those who can work remotely to do so in the event of a strike.
NJ Transit told 100,000 rail customers that they should ride on Amtrak and PATH trains if a strike does begin, adding that commuters can take the ferry or use the light rail.
Fans of Shakira and Beyoncé may already be feeling the effects of the plans to strike. On Monday, NJ Transit announced that it won’t run bus or rail service to MetLife Stadium for Shakira’s concerts, scheduled for Thursday and Friday. It’s not yet clear if the agency will provide service for Beyoncé’s concerts scheduled from May 22 to May 29 at MetLife.
What People Are Saying
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said in a statement that all options are on the table if NJ Transit engineers go on strike, including declaring a state of emergency: “I am still hoping we find some resolution, but I am preparing for the worst. I am headed to a call right now, to an all-hands call, [on] exactly what this is going to look like Thursday night at midnight, if that’s what it comes to.”
Tom Haas, general chairman of BLET, said at a news conference on Friday: “We have sought nothing more than equal pay for equal work, only to be continuously rebuffed by New Jersey Transit. New Jersey Transit engineers want to keep the trains moving, but the simple fact is that trains do not run without engineers.”
Kolluri said in a statement: “I cannot keep giving money left and right to solve a problem. It all comes down to, who is going to pay for this? Money does not grow on trees.”
Nim Sethi, resident of Warren, New Jersey, told CBS News of the possible disruptions: “I think it’s going to be difficult for the state. I think it’s going to be hard for commuters and having the situation in Newark airport is already a disaster.”
What Happens Next
NJ Transit train engineers will officially go on strike at 12:01 a.m. Friday, unless an agreement is reached beforehand.
The agency posted information about its contingency plans in the event of a strike, saying, “NJ TRANSIT strongly encourages all those who can work from home to do so and limit traveling on the NJ TRANSIT system to essential purposes only.”
The AP contributed reporting to this article.
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