New Jersey Transit locomotive engineers went on strike early Friday morning as negotiations between the transportation company and union workers failed to produce a contract agreement.
It is the Garden State’s first transit strike since 1983. The work stoppage is expected to cause hundreds of thousands of people in the New York Metropolitan area to find other means of transportation for their morning commute. Friday’s strike comes after the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers reportedly turned down a contract a month ago.
“The locomotive engineers of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLET) have voted to strike, which means the complete suspension of NJ TRANSIT rail service, including Metro-North west of Hudson service,” read a message on the NJ Transit website. “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 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union reportedly announced its intention to proceed with a strike about 30 minutes before Thursday night’s deadline for a contract resolution. Around 450 union members participated in the work stoppage.
“After 15 hours of non-stop contract talks today, no agreement on a wage increase was reached this evening,” the BLET union declared in a released statement.
“Our members at NJ Transit had the full support of our national union, as well as the Teamsters,” said Mark Wallace, the union’s national president. “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. They have money for penthouse views and pet projects, just not for their front-line workers. Enough is enough. We will stay out until our members receive the fair pay that they deserve.”
NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri reportedly categorized the work stoppage as a “pause in the conversations.”
“I certainly expect to pick back up these conversations as soon as possible,” Kolluri said Thursday night. “If they’re willing to meet tonight, I’ll meet them again tonight. If they want to meet tomorrow morning, I’ll do it again. Because I think this is an imminently workable problem. The question is, do they have the willingness to come to a solution.”
Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) urged a quick resolution to the strike. He acknowledged the situation’s complexities but called for an agreement “that is both fair to employees and at the same time affordable to New Jersey’s commuters and taxpayers.”
“We cannot ignore the agency’s fiscal realities,” said Murphy.
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NJ Transit is the nation’s third-largest transit system, operating buses and trains in the state between New York City and Philadelphia, according to reports. Trains regularly take commuters to Newark Airport and New York City’s Penn Station daily.
According to New Jersey’s governor, the work stoppage could affect as many as 350,000 commuters.