Latest news with #BLET
CBS News
20-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Watch Live: NJ Transit service resumes today after strike officially ends
NJ Transit service resumes Tuesday after the agency reached a tentative agreement with the engineers union to end their strike. NJ Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri is expected to give an update at 6:45 a.m. Watch live on CBS News New York. NJ Transit strike update Although the strike ended Sunday night, hundreds of trains and miles of tracks had to be inspected before service was fully restored. Officials said the process takes up to 24 hours. Service had been halted since last Friday, impacting hundreds of thousands of riders. Government sources tell CBS News New York the deal with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) will not increase fares, at least for the next few years. Both sides are saying little about the deal until it's ratified in a month. The union's general manager said in a statement it "boosts hourly pay beyond the proposal rejected by our members last month and beyond where we were when NJ Transit's managers walked away from the table Thursday evening." The NJ Transit board will also have to approve the deal after union members vote on it. Check back soon for the latest updates on this developing story.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NJ Transit strike deal reached — but riders should still expect a messy Monday commute
New Jersey Transit has reached a tentative deal with its striking union members on Sunday, but Jersey residents should still expect a messy Monday commute. Trains won't be up and running just yet — as the first NJ Transit strike in decades is set to end after midnight Tuesday, according to union and transit officials. 'I am delighted to report that NJ Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) have reached a tentative agreement and as a result, New Jersey's first rail strike in decades has officially come to an end,' Gov. Phil Murphy said during a press conference Sunday night. 'Starting Tuesday, May 20, NJ Transit will once again provide rail service to the more than 100,000 riders who depend on it every single day.' The transit agency and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen hashed out the final details of an agreement after two days of negotiations. The new contract comes after 450 union members walked off the job Friday after midnight, leading to a stressful commute for tens of thousands of New Jersey residents. 'This is a very good day for New Jersey. The sound that you probably hear is the sound of our commuters breathing a collective sigh of relief,' Murphy said. But the real relief won't come until Tuesday's morning commute. BLET leadership initially claimed the commuting nightmare was over and its workers 'will return to work and trains will begin running on their regular schedules Monday,' according to Politico, but NJ Transit, Murphy and a union rep later corrected the scheduling, saying trains won't start running until 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday. NJ Transit said the trains can't return until then because it takes about 24 hours for workers to 'inspect and prepare tracks, rail cars, and other infrastructure' before the rail service is back up and running after the pause. The transit agency's CEO Kris Kolluri once again urged Jersey commuters to work from home on Monday if they are able and said a surge of bus service would be in place to get essential workers to their jobs. The terms of the deal were not immediately known, as union members will get the first look at the terms before they are made public. The members still need to vote to ratify the contract. But both sides said the agreement included an increase in pay to employees without hitting riders' wallets. Murphy called the tentative deal 'both fair to NJ Transit's employees while also being affordable for our state's commuters and taxpayers.' The two sides were attempting to hammer out an agreement that would bump pay for the train engineers while not causing financial ruin for the embattled transit agency. BLET's General Chairman at NJ Transit, Tom Haas, said the union was able to negotiate a boost to hourly pay after the engineers had not had a new raise in five years. 'We also were able to show management ways to boost engineers' wages that will help NJT with retention and recruitment, without causing any significant budget issue or requiring a fare increase,' Haas said in a statement. The striking train workers and the Garden State's railroad company had 'constructive' talks Saturday, but couldn't come to an agreement before coming back to the table Sunday.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
BLET, New Jersey Transit reach tentative agreement, ending three-day strike
May 18 (UPI) -- Negotiators from the state of New Jersey and the union representing hundreds of locomotive engineers announced they reached a tentative agreement on Sunday, ending the first statewide transit strike in four decades. Terms of the agreement were not made public, but the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union had sought a pay raise for its 450 members. BLET said in a statement that the agreement will be sent to its members and its specifics will be publicized after they've had a chance to review it. "While I won't get into the exact details of the deal reached, I will say that the only real issue was wages, and we were able to reach an agreement that boosts hourly pay beyond the proposal rejected by our members last month and beyond where we were when NJ Transit's managers walked away from the table Thursday evening," said Tom Haas, BLET's general chairman at NJ Transit. The union went on strike Friday at 12:01 a.m. after negotiations abruptly ended hours earlier. An agreement to prevent a strike had been reached by the union and NJ Transit in late March but members voted 87% against it in mid-April. It was the first statewide transit strike in 42 years. The office of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy confirmed in a statement that rail transit will resume in the state, with regular weekday train service to start Tuesday, as inspections and other maintenance work following the work stoppage will take about 24 hours to complete. "This agreement reflects the commitment of both the BLET and NJ Transit to remain at the table engaging in productive conversations, and I commend them both," Murphy said. "Most importantly, it ensures the resumption of rail service for the 100,000 people who depend on our rail system on a daily basis." The tentative agreement must next be ratified by BLET members and approved by the NJ Transit Board of Directors. The main issue that held up negotiators was pay. BLET had said that its members were the lowest paid of all locomotive engineers working for a major commuter railroad in the nation and that it was seeking a comparable wage for its 450 members. Ahead of the strike, NJ Transit estimated that more than 350,000 daily riders would be negatively affected by the work stoppage. The Partnership for New York City has estimated that every hour commuters are delayed getting to work due to NJ Transit rail being out of service costs New York City employers nearly $6 million.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Train strike ends after snarling New York travel
Train service in New Jersey will resume Tuesday after striking transit workers and officials came to a tentative agreement following several days of mass misery for New York area commuters. Train engineers seeking higher pay went on the first statewide transit strike in more than 40 years on Friday at a minute after midnight as contract talks fell apart. Many area commuters were caught unaware and left scrambling to get into nearby New York using other means of transportation such as Uber or Amtrak, the national rail system, both of which can be many multitudes more expensive. New Jersey Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) announced Sunday in separate statements that they had reached "a tentative agreement." But they warned that train service would not resume for approximately 24 hours, with the transit authority reporting that it needed the time "to inspect and prepare tracks, rail cars and other infrastructure before returning to full scheduled service." Neither side provided details of the agreement. BLET said the terms would be sent for consideration to the union's 450 members who work as locomotive engineers or are trainees, with details and figures to be disclosed publicly after the members are able to review them. The union said it has been locked in a years-long dispute with NJ Transit, with its members going five years without a raise. BLET workers had picketed outside rail stations, with many waving signs that accused NJ Transit executives of treating themselves to expensive perks while train drivers' wages lagged behind those of colleagues in other areas of the country. NJ Transit officials, however, have said the wage hike requested by the union would end up costing the company and taxpayers millions. bfm/rsc
Straits Times
19-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Train strike ends after snarling New York travel
Train service will resume on May 20 after striking transit workers and officials reached a tentative agreement. PHOTO: REUTERS NEW YORK - Train service in New Jersey will resume on May 20 after striking transit workers and officials came to a tentative agreement following several days of mass misery for New York area commuters. Train engineers seeking higher pay went on the first statewide transit strike in more than 40 years on May 18 at a minute after midnight as contract talks fell apart. Many area commuters were caught unaware and left scrambling to get into nearby New York using other means of transportation such as Uber or Amtrak, the national rail system, both of which can be many multitudes more expensive. New Jersey Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) announced on May 18 in separate statements that they had reached 'a tentative agreement'. But they warned that train service would not resume for approximately 24 hours, with the transit authority reporting that it needed the time 'to inspect and prepare tracks, rail cars and other infrastructure before returning to full scheduled service'. Neither side provided details of the agreement. BLET said the terms would be sent for consideration to the union's 450 members who work as locomotive engineers or are trainees, with details and figures to be disclosed publicly after the members are able to review them. The union said it has been locked in a years-long dispute with NJ Transit, with its members going five years without a raise. BLET workers had picketed outside rail stations, with many waving signs that accused NJ Transit executives of treating themselves to expensive perks while train drivers' wages lagged behind those of colleagues in other areas of the country. NJ Transit officials, however, have said the wage hike requested by the union would end up costing the company and taxpayers millions. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
