By Anne Levin
Despite a meeting in Washington, D.C. on Monday, May 12, between the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the National Mediation Board, a rail strike by NJ Transit starting at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, May 16 remains a threat.
Some 350,000 commuters throughout New Jersey use the system, which is the nation’s third largest commuter railroad. The potential stoppage would affect local residents who regularly ride the Northeast Corridor Line between Trenton and New York City’s Penn Station.
NJ Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri issued a statement following Monday’s session.
“We want to thank the National Mediation Board (NMB) for convening today’s meeting,” he said. “We found the discussion to be constructive and look forward to continuing negotiations in good faith. To respect the collective bargaining process, we will not be sharing any additional details publicly at this time.”
Seeking higher wages, the membership of BLET recently voted down a tentative agreement reached between NJ Transit and the union’s leadership. According to NJ Transit’s website, the locomotive engineers average total earnings of about $135,000, with the highest earners exceeding $200,000. The tentative agreement that was rejected would have paid the highest-earning engineer $286,000 in 2027; the BLET’s proposal would increase the highest paid engineers to $314,174 in 2027.
On the BLET website, Tom Haas, the union’s general chairman representing engineers at NJ Transit, said the engineers have gone without a raise since 2019 but kept the trains running “during a period of high inflation and throughout the pandemic that claimed some of our coworkers. We earn less than our peers at other commuter railroads that share the same platforms.”
The transit agency contends that the wages “are competitive within the region, higher than wages at SEPTA in Philadelphia, and lower than those at MTA (Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Railroad) in New York.”
“Accepting the BLET’s current demands would cost taxpayers and NJ Transit $1.363 billion between July 2025 and June 2030, $684 million more than what was tentatively agreed to by BLET leadership in March,” the website reads. “The agency must balance the need for fair labor contracts with its obligation to maintain affordable fares, reliable service, and system-wide investments.”
The NJ Transit website urges people to make alternative arrangements or, better yet, stay home should the strike take place. “PLAN AHEAD: POTENTIAL RAIL SERVICE DISRUPTION” it reads in uppercase letters. A contingency plan would serve only a limited of rail customers.
Access would be on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Monday, May 19, from four regional Park & Ride lots including the Hamilton Rail Station, which is on the Northeast Corridor Line. Buses would take riders to Newark Penn Station to pick up the PATH train service into New York City.
Pickups would be on weekdays from 5-9 a.m. at Hamilton. Return trips would leave Newark Penn Station between 3-7 p.m. No midday, late-night, weekend, or reverse commute service would operate on these routes.
NJ Transit will enhance peak period service on existing New York bus routes in close proximity to rail stations. On the Northeast Corridor Line, that includes the 108, 112, 115, and 129 bus routes. All other NJ Transit bus routes will continue to operate on regular schedules.
“In developing its contingency plan, NJ Transit focused on available 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 website reads. “Through a combination of added capacity to existing New York bus routes, operation of a regional Park & Ride service, NJ Transit estimates that it can only carry approximately 20 percent of current customers as the bus system capacity cannot replace the railroad.”
Visit Njtransit.com for further information.