NJ Transit rail strike begins, disrupts thousands of commutes

All New Jersey Transit rail service was suspended today after 450 locomotive engineers represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) went on strike. 

Unsuccessful wage negotiations ended yesterday shortly before 10 p.m. Eastern time when NJ Transit managers left the talks, BLET officials said in a press release.

Up to 350,000 people rely on the NJ Transit rail network to commute into New York City and beyond, according to report by NBC News. Alternative services, including expanded New York commuter bus routes and a regional park-and-ride service, are scheduled to begin on May 19.

“While we, unfortunately, were unable to finalize a deal Thursday night, I am committed, as I have been since my first day on the job in January, to remaining at the bargaining table for as long as it takes to get an agreement finalized," said NJ Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri.

A tentative agreement BLET members rejected in March would have increased engineers' total annual earnings from $135,000 to $172,856 as of July 1, 2027. This would be higher than wages of engineers at the South Eastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, but lower than MTA Metro-North Railroad and MTA Long Island Rail Road wages in New York, NJ Transit officials said.

In order to meet the wage increase asks of BLET, NJ Transit would need to increase fares by 17%, increase the Corporate Transit Fee — a 2.5% levy on businesses with taxable net income allocated to the state greater than $10 million — by 27%, or reduce services across the system, NJ Transit officials said.

The cost of providing limited alternative service during the strike will cost taxpayers $4 million per day, NJ Transit officials said. 

Contract negotiations between the union and the commuter railroad have been ongoing since 2019, and workers have not had a raise in five years, according to the union. NJ Transit engineers make at least $10 per hour less than engineers who work for railroads on the same train platforms as NJ Transit, BLET officials said. 

Union officials also assert that NJ Transit is prioritizing projects such as its new headquarters over better pay for locomotive engineers.

"Our members at NJ Transit had the full support of our national union, as well as the Teamsters," said BLET National President Mark Wallace. "Enough is enough. We will stay out until our members receive the fair pay that they deserve."