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NEW JERSEY (PIX11) -- NJ Transit could not reach a contract agreement with New Jersey Transit engineers. Trains will not run on Friday, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen announced Thursday evening.
It will be the state’s first transit strike in over 40 years.
After 15 hours of non-stop contract talks, no agreement on a wage increase was reached between the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and NJ Transit managers, according to BLET.
“Our members at NJ Transit had the full support of our national union, as well as the Teamsters,” said BLET National President Mark Wallace. “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.”
Four hundred fifty engineers and trainees will be on strike starting Friday at 12:01 p.m.
NJ Gov. Phil Murphy gives remarks ahead of NJ Transit strike
Just an hour before the strike, NJ Gov. Phil Murphy was joined by the CEO of NJ Transit Rail in a press conference, where they addressed the current status of contract negotiations.
"Our administration has been working in good faith to provide the wages and benefits our employees deserve," Gov. Murphy said. "All the agency's employees, including our locomotive engineers, are the backbone of the New Jersey public transit system. But the workers and the families who rely on our transit system every single day are the backbone of our entire economy. And the possibility of abandoning these workers and their families at the last minute would be completely unacceptable and unjustifiable."
The first NJ Transit train strike in 42 years
A spokesperson from the union said they submitted a final proposal. It was rejected, and the governor held a press conference, with two hours of negotiations left.
Picket lines will begin at locations across the transit system starting at 4 a.m. Friday. Among the locations being picketed are NJ Transit’s Headquarters in Newark, Penn Station in New York City, and the Atlantic City Rail Terminal in Atlantic City.
Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.
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