Approximately 350,000 commuters had to find alternative transportation into New York City, after New Jersey’s commuter rail system went on strike Friday.
According to the Associated Press, train engineers shut down the service at midnight, leaving passengers to find their way to work via taxi, rideshares, buses, and boats. The train route is also an important line to Newark Airport and concerts at Meadowlands for New Yorkers.
The walkout follows Thursday’s negotiations, which failed to yield an agreement. Marking the state’s first transit strike in more than four decades, the action comes just a month after union members decisively voted down a proposed labor deal with management.
“We presented them the last proposal; they rejected it and walked away with two hours left on the clock,” said Tom Haas, general chairman of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET).
NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri joined Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy at a news conference on Friday, where they acknowledged making significant progress toward meeting the union’s wage demands. However, they expressed concerns about the transit agency’s long-term financial stability.
“What’s the point of giving you a pay raise if a couple of years from now your job is not going to exist?” Kolluri said. “That’s sort of what we’re talking about in the most plain and simple terms.”
Picketing groups assembled outside transit headquarters in Newark and at the Hoboken Terminal, holding signs that read, “Locomotive Engineers on Strike” and “NJ Transit: Millions for Penthouse Views, Nothing for Train Crews.”
BLET National President Mark Wallace joined the picket line outside New York City’s Penn Station, affirming the engineers’ dedication to continuing the strike until they secure a fair agreement. Last summer, union members overwhelmingly voted to authorize the strike, and 87% rejected the most recent proposed deal.
In a statement, Wallace called out NJ Transit for spending money on a “swanky new headquarters,” instead of giving engineers a respectable pay raise.
“Our members at NJ Transit had the full support of our national union, as well as the Teamsters,” Wallace said. “NJ Transit has a half-billion dollars for a swanky new headquarters and $53 million for decorating the interior of that unnecessary building. They gave away $20 million in revenue during a fare holiday last year. They have money for penthouse views and pet projects, just not for their front-line workers. Enough is enough. We will stay out until our members receive the fair pay that they deserve.”
