NJ Transit & Engineers Union Still Talking – Strike Deadline Is MIdnight Tonight

This is pretty big news that I really hadn’t seen anything about. I suppose with everything happening in the world right now, it got lost in the sauce. But on any other day the looming possibility of all the commuter trains running from New Jersey into New York City being just-this-close to shutting down would, as Joe Biden would say, be a BFD.

The New Jersey Transit board on Wednesday night pushed the Garden State to the brink of its first major rail strike since 1983, adjourning their monthly meeting without cutting a deal with the agency’s locomotive engineer union.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen authorized a strike as early as 12:01 a.m. Friday, which would shut down commuter rail service for roughly 100,000 riders. The union’s leadership reached a tentative agreement with NJ Transit last month, but a majority of the roughly 450 rank-and-file members voted it down.

During the meeting, NJ Transit President Kris Kolluri said he was “supremely optimistic” a deal would be reached by Friday. He has in recent weeks warned New Jersey rail riders a strike could be imminent and said they should prepare to work from home.

Especially when it’s threatening tonight’s Shakira concert in the Meadowlands.

OH, THE HUMANITY!

…Unfortunately for some Shakira fans, the impact of a possible NJ Transit strike will be felt soon.

On Monday, NJ Transit announced it would not provide train or bus service to MetLife Stadium for the Shakira concerts on Thursday and Friday due to the strike threat.

The news could impact hundreds if not thousands of attendees to the shows, in particular Thursday’s show, which is sold out.

I think the NY Post may be understating the effects.

NJ Transit strike appears ever more likely ahead of midnight deadline: ‘It’s going to be ugly’

NJ Transit riders are facing massive service disruptions as the system barrels like a runaway train toward Thursday’s midnight deadline to avoid its first major rail strike in over 40 years.

The Garden State-owned rail service has already festooned stations with screaming-red signage warning of deep service cuts starting at midnight Friday if contract negotiations with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers union fall through.

…NJ resident Lisa Monroe, 53, who works in media, said working for home is not an option for her, and that driving back and forth to the city five days a week will add up to around $425 a week, not including gas.

“Honestly I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she said, noting she’s already considering what expenses she can reduce to make it work.

“We have to spend more money on getting to work, just to commute, and your salary is not going to match. My salary is not going to go out with the additional $85 or more a day because of a strike. I have to cut back.”

The NJ Transit Authority is urging the 350K people who take the trains daily to either work from home or get where they need to be now.  They can’t guarantee they’ll be able to do it after tonight, and they certainly have nowhere near the extra buses needed to pick up that kind of slack. It is, after all, the third-largest mass transportation system in the country.

New Jersey Transit urged riders to reach their destinations before the end of the day Thursday or risk being stranded as last-minute talks continued in a bid to avert a rail strike by train engineers that would affect some 350,000 commuters in New Jersey and New York City.

…The system’s advisory provided riders with details on contingency plans that would take effect if engineers walk off the job at 12:01 a.m. EDT Friday. The agency plans to increase bus service, saying it would add “very limited” capacity to existing New York commuter bus routes in close proximity to rail stations and will contract with private carriers to operate bus service from key regional park-and-ride locations during weekday peak periods.

However, the agency noted that the buses would not be able to handle close to the same number of passengers — only about 20% of current rail customers — so it is has urged people who can work from home to do so if there is a strike.

You can imagine people have questions about how that’s going to work.

So if let’s say I get on a train at 11:06pm to go to Trenton, if there is no deal by mid night, is the train just gonna drop everyone off at the next stop? Or do they let the train go as scheduled? Or does that train get canceled?

— PStarzynski Discruntled NYR/NYY/NYG fan ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ (@PeterS_Tech) May 15, 2025

As always, it’s about the money, and both sides are in negotiations with federal mediators in D.C. at the moment, trying to get past the sticking points. One of which is arguing about who makes how much. And, woof – do they want a raise.

…Wages have been the main sticking point of the negotiations between the agency and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. The union says its members earn an average salary of $113,000 a year and says an agreement could be reached if agency CEO Kris Kolluri agrees to an average yearly salary of $170,000.

NJ Transit leadership, though, disputes the union’s data, saying the engineers have average total earnings of $135,000 annually, with the highest earners exceeding $200,000.

If the walkout happens, it would be the state’s first transit strike in more than 40 years. It comes a month after union members overwhelmingly rejected a labor agreement with management.

The union put out a slick little video explaining their side of the labor dispute, and it says they haven’t had a raise in six years. Yeah, that would suck in a molto expensive place like NJ. I kind of doubt whatever valid points they may have will mollify pissed off Shakira fans, though, and I believe there’s also a basketball game or something at the same time. No one will be able to get to anything. Or if they did, getting home could be an adventure.

The BLET National Division has produced a television commercial on behalf of its NJ Transit members, which will run on cable in New Jersey next week. The ad outlines the union’s position on locomotive engineer wages in advance of a potential strike or lock-out at NJT on May 16. pic.twitter.com/K3OQxsdLaO

— Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (@BLET) May 9, 2025

It might take more than a public relations exercise to soothe hard feelings should the union walk out.

A walkout has the potential to really slamma jamma the works for folks who have to get into the city, and I can’t imagine what kind of gridlock Manhattan would see tomorrow.

New Jersey Transit workers are threatening to walk off the job as early as midnight tonight. The looming transportation strike would leave much of the nation’s third-largest transit system at a standstill. @giobenitez reports. pic.twitter.com/bNFmbHAIWU

— Good Morning America (@GMA) May 15, 2025

The way things have been going, I firmly believe the whole of transportation in NJ needs some sort of voodoo cleansing ceremony. Cleanse it with fire and feathers or whatever it takes, if you ask me.

It’s just another day 🎶 https://t.co/tcI7trqo7n

— Bob Scheurle (@BobScheurle) May 8, 2025

And, yes – in case you were wondering, Trump did this.

NJ transit goes on strike tonight at midnight here in new jersey this is pure insanity we never had these issues under @BarackObama @JoeBiden or even @GeorgeHWBush it’s no surprise that it’s happening under @realDonaldTrump the guy can’t govern out of a brown paper bag

— birthday may 20th taurus affair (@moneychase_85) May 15, 2025

Was there ever any doubt?

I hope they settle at the last minute, because there’s no ugly quite like a NY/NJ ugly. 

And no one wants to see that.