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The Star
16-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Strike at New Jersey rail system strands New York-bound commuters
NJ Transit locomotive engineers strike near the Newark-Penn Station in Newark, New Jersey, U.S., May 16, 2025. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz NEW YORK (Reuters) -New Jersey rail engineers walked off the job on Friday after marathon contract talks stalled, setting off a strike at a transit system that serves some 350,000 rail passengers a day, including tens of thousands of commuters into New York City. The commuter rail strike - the first to hit New Jersey Transit since a three-week walkout more than 40 years ago - went into effect at 12:01 a.m. EDT (0401 GMT). The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, which represents 450 NJ Transit engineers who drive the agency's commuter trains, said a 15-hour bargaining session broke off when management negotiators walked out of the talks at 10 p.m. on Thursday. Wages are the key sticking point. As the morning rush got underway on Friday, delays on the bridges, tunnels and ferries crossing the Hudson River into Manhattan were light, according to a website that monitors traffic flows. Fridays see fewer commuters into New York than any other weekday. Union members began picketing several locations at 4 a.m. on Friday, including NJ Transit headquarters in Newark, New Jersey. At a Friday news conference, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy blamed the work stoppage on the union and said management was ready to resume negotiations "in good faith" at any time. "It is frankly a mess of their own making and it is a slap in the face of every commuter and worker who relies on New Jersey Transit," he said of the union's strike. Kris Kolluri, president and CEO of NJ Transit, said that meeting the union's wage demands would put the agency into a fiscal "death spiral." Mark Wallace, national president of the union, said management, not his members, were responsible for triggering the walkout and that the union was willing to return to the bargaining table any time. "In my opinion, they essentially put us on strike, because they walked away from the table with two hours left," he said at a picket line outside Penn Station in Manhattan. "The ball's in the court of New Jersey Transit. ... I think if they will open their eyes a little bit, they'll find a path." WORKERS URGED TO STAY AT HOME Many commuters apparently heeded the advice of NJ Transit, the third-largest U.S. transit system, which urged commuters to work from home if possible. At the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan, several commuters from New Jersey said their buses were not overly crowded. Anthony Wilkerson, 34, who lives in West Orange, said he typically takes the train. "I got a seat to myself this morning," said Wilkerson, who works in tech. But he noted that it was Friday and wondered whether next week would bring more crowding. NJ Transit said it would increase bus services on existing lines and charter private buses to operate from several satellite lots in the event of a rail strike but warned that buses would only be able to handle around 20% of rail customers. The looming strike had already prompted the agency to cancel trains and buses to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for pop star Shakira's concerts on Thursday and Friday nights. Murphy said travel to and from the sold-out stadium on Thursday went smoothly for the 50,000 fans in attendance. The labor clash came weeks after negotiators had agreed on a potential deal in March, only for the union's members to vote overwhelmingly to reject it. The union has said it was aiming to raise the engineers' salaries to match those at other commuter railroads in the region. NJ Transit has said it cannot afford the pay raises the engineers are seeking because 14 other unions that negotiate separate labor contracts with the agency would then demand higher wage rates. NJ Transit says the engineers currently make $135,000 on average and that 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 actually $113,000. (Reporting by Karen Freifeld in New York and Rich McKay in Atlanta; Additional reporting by Joseph Ax and Steve Gorman; Editing by Frank McGurty and Mark Porter)
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First Post
16-05-2025
- Business
- First Post
First in decades, New Jersey transit rail strike begins as wage talks collapse
New Jersey rail engineers strike after contract talks stalled, affecting NJ Transit commuters. The union seeks higher wages. NJ Transit management is open to negotiations. read more A commuter is seen on a train at Penn Station in New York, U.S., May 15, 2025. Source: Reuters New Jersey rail engineers walked off the job on Friday after marathon contract talks stalled ahead of a midnight deadline, setting off a strike at a transit system that serves hundreds of thousands of commuters into New York City. The commuter rail strike - the first to hit NJ Transit since a three-week walkout more than 40 years ago - went into effect at 12:01 a.m. EDT (0401 GMT). The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, which represents 450 NJ Transit engineers who drive the agency's commuter trains, said a nonstop 15-hour bargaining session broke off when management negotiators walked out of the talks at 10 p.m. on Thursday. Wages are the key sticking point. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As the morning rush got underway on Friday, delays on the bridges, tunnels and ferries crossing the Hudson River into Manhattan were light, according to a website that monitors traffic flows. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and NJ Transit Chief Executive Officer Kris Kolluri said at a Thursday evening news conference 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.' Murphy and Kolluri said the U.S. National Mediation Board had reached out to both sides to propose reopening talks on Sunday morning, or sooner if the parties wished. A union statement made no mention of when talks might be restarted. Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen began picketing at 4 a.m. on Friday at three locations: the NJ Transit Headquarters in Newark, New Jersey; Penn Station in New York City and the Atlantic City Rail Terminal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Mark Wallace, the national president of the union, said on Friday that he was perplexed that NJ Transit management walked away from the bargaining table while claiming in a press conference that they would return to the table at any time. 'We presented them with a deal and they walked away,' Wallace said. 'They chose to leave. We did not.' He added that while talks are expected to resume on Sunday, the union would return to the bargaining table at any time if management agreed to do so. Representatives of NJ Transit and the governor could not be immediately reached for further comment. Worked urged to stay at home Many commuters apparently heeded the advice of NJ Transit, the third-largest U.S. transit system, which urged commuters to work from home if possible. When Miguel Gustave, a resident of Edgewater, New Jersey, who works for UBS, walked off his ferry in midtown Manhattan, he said he was unaware that the engineers had walked out. Asked if there were more people on the ferry, he said, 'Actually less.' At the Thursday briefing, the governor and the NJ Transit CEO outlined contingency plans for dealing with the work stoppage. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The looming strike had already prompted the agency to cancel trains and buses to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for pop star Shakira's concerts on Thursday and Friday nights. The agency said it would increase bus services on existing lines and charter private buses to operate from several satellite lots in the event of a rail strike but warned that buses would only be able to handle around 20% of rail customers. The labor clash came weeks after negotiators had agreed on a potential deal in March, but the union's members voted overwhelmingly to reject it. The union has said it was aiming to raise the engineers' salaries to match those at other commuter railroads in the region. NJ Transit has said it cannot afford the pay raises the engineers are seeking because 14 other unions that negotiate separate labor contracts with the agency would then demand higher wage rates for their members. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD NJ Transit says the engineers currently make $135,000 on average and that 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 actually $113,000. The parties have exchanged accusations of bad faith bargaining. Kolluri said last week that the union was 'playing a game of chicken with the lives of 350,000 riders.' 'We have sought nothing more than equal pay for equal work, only to be continually rebuffed by New Jersey Transit,' Tom Haas, the union's general chairman, said earlier this week.
Indian Express
16-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Strike at New Jersey rail system strands New York-bound commuters
New Jersey rail engineers walked off the job on Friday after marathon contract talks stalled ahead of a midnight deadline, setting off a strike at a transit system that serves hundreds of thousands of commuters into New York City. The commuter rail strike – the first to hit NJ Transit since a three-week walkout more than 40 years ago – went into effect at 12:01 a.m. EDT (0401 GMT). The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, which represents 450 NJ Transit engineers who drive the agency's commuter trains, said a nonstop 15-hour bargaining session broke off when management negotiators walked out of the talks at 10 p.m. on Thursday. Wages are the key sticking point. As the morning rush got underway on Friday, delays on the bridges, tunnels and ferries crossing the Hudson River into Manhattan were light, according to a website that monitors traffic flows. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and NJ Transit Chief Executive Officer Kris Kolluri said at a Thursday evening news conference 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.' Murphy and Kolluri said the U.S. National Mediation Board had reached out to both sides to propose reopening talks on Sunday morning, or sooner if the parties wished. A union statement made no mention of when talks might be restarted. Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen began picketing at 4 a.m. on Friday at three locations: the NJ Transit Headquarters in Newark, New Jersey; Penn Station in New York City and the Atlantic City Rail Terminal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Mark Wallace, the national president of the union, said on Friday that he was perplexed that NJ Transit management walked away from the bargaining table while claiming in a press conference that they would return to the table at any time. 'We presented them with a deal and they walked away,' Wallace said. 'They chose to leave. We did not.' He added that while talks are expected to resume on Sunday, the union would return to the bargaining table at any time if management agreed to do so. Representatives of NJ Transit and the governor could not be immediately reached for further comment. Many commuters apparently heeded the advice of NJ Transit, the third-largest US transit system, which urged commuters to work from home if possible. When Miguel Gustave, a resident of Edgewater, New Jersey, who works for UBS, walked off his ferry in midtown Manhattan, he said he was unaware that the engineers had walked out. Asked if there were more people on the ferry, he said, 'Actually less.' At the Thursday briefing, the governor and the NJ Transit CEO outlined contingency plans for dealing with the work stoppage. The looming strike had already prompted the agency to cancel trains and buses to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for pop star Shakira's concerts on Thursday and Friday nights. The agency said it would increase bus services on existing lines and charter private buses to operate from several satellite lots in the event of a rail strike but warned that buses would only be able to handle around 20% of rail customers. The labor clash came weeks after negotiators had agreed on a potential deal in March, but the union's members voted overwhelmingly to reject it. The union has said it was aiming to raise the engineers' salaries to match those at other commuter railroads in the region. NJ Transit has said it cannot afford the pay raises the engineers are seeking because 14 other unions that negotiate separate labor contracts with the agency would then demand higher wage rates for their members. NJ Transit says the engineers currently make $135,000 on average and that 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 actually $113,000. The parties have exchanged accusations of bad faith bargaining. Kolluri said last week that the union was 'playing a game of chicken with the lives of 350,000 riders.' 'We have sought nothing more than equal pay for equal work, only to be continually rebuffed by New Jersey Transit,' Tom Haas, the union's general chairman, said earlier this week.
