New Jersey Transit (NJT) has issued a stark warning to its commuters: be prepared for potential disruption, or risk being stranded. With a potential rail strike by train engineers looming, NJT is urging riders to reach their destinations before the end of Thursday, May 15th. Negotiations are ongoing in a desperate attempt to avert a strike that would impact an estimated 350,000 daily commuters traveling between New Jersey and New York City.
The agency has outlined contingency plans, should the engineers walk off the job at 12:01 AM EDT on Friday. These plans involve increasing bus service, adding limited capacity to existing commuter routes, and contracting with private carriers to provide service from key park-and-ride locations during peak hours. However, NJT acknowledges that bus service will only handle approximately 20% of the usual rail ridership. Commuters are strongly advised to work from home if possible.
This potential disruption would significantly affect NJT, the nation’s third-largest transit system, which handles almost a million weekday trips. A strike would halt all NJ Transit commuter trains, crippling vital transportation links between New York Penn Station and northern New Jersey communities, as well as access to Newark Airport, which has already been facing separate delays. The main sticking point in negotiations between NJT and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) centers around wages. The union claims their members earn an average salary of $113,000 annually, and seeks an increase to $170,000. NJT disputes this figure, stating the average is closer to $135,000, with some exceeding $200,000.
This potential strike would mark the first transit strike in New Jersey in over four decades, following the union’s overwhelming rejection of a labor agreement last month. While both sides met with a federal mediation board earlier this week, the outcome of those talks remains undisclosed. The situation remains tense, leaving commuters in a state of uncertainty as the deadline approaches. Stay tuned for updates as the situation unfolds.
