- Friday, May 16, 2025
The workers claim they have not been provided a raise in the last five years, while the management said a wage hike would cost the company and taxpayers millions
By: India Weekly
TRAIN services stopped in New Jersey early Friday (16), as the workers of NJ Transit, which daily caters to 350,000 commuters, decided to strike work over a pay dispute.
NJ Transit, the third-largest transit system in the United States, covers Eastern Seaboard states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York.
“Due to a strike by locomotive engineers representing Brother of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen all NJ Transit rail service is currently suspended,” the rail operator said on its website.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, which represents 450 NJ Transit engineers who drive the agency’s commuter trains, said a 15-hour, nonstop bargaining session on Thursday (15) broke off when management negotiators walked out of the talks at 10 pm.
The union said it has been locked in a years-long dispute with NJ Transit, with its members going five years without a raise.
The union is seeking new contracts for its engineers with hourly wages matching those of the neighbouring Long Island Rail Road.
NJ Transit officials claim the wage hike requested by the union would end up costing the company and taxpayers millions.
The railroad’s engineers currently make $135,000 on average, and management had offered a deal that would yield an average salary of $172,000.
But the union has disputed those figures, saying the current average salary is $113,000.
The strike declaration came as New Jersey governor Phil Murphy and NJ Transit’s chief executive officer Kris Kolluri held a news conference.
They told reporters talks had paused but that management remained willing to resume negotiations at any time.
“We must reach a final deal that is both fair to employees and affordable,” Murphy, a Democrat, told reporters. “Let’s get back to the table and seal a deal.”
The US National Mediation Board had reached out to both sides to propose reopening talks on Sunday morning, or sooner if the parties wished
NJ Transit expects the strike to mainly affect daily commutes for about 70,000 New York-bound passengers, while also disrupting the travel of many thousands more along its extensive network.
According to local newspaper reports, the last statewide transit strike occurred in 1983 and lasted 34 days. (Agencies)
