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NJ Transit officials and union representatives are meeting in Washington, D.C., today (May 12) to negotiate a new contract for train engineers. The National Mediation Board has called the meeting in an effort to prevent a potential strike that could disrupt the commutes of hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLE&T) union is demanding higher wages, and a strike is set for Friday (May 16) if no agreement is reached.
The union rejected a tentative contract announced in March, and further negotiations broke down earlier this month. According to Transit Talent, NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri expressed his desire to avoid a strike, stating, "We should avoid a strike and not disrupt the lives of 350,000 riders."
As reported by NBC New York, the union claims that NJ Transit has overstated engineer salaries, which they say average $105,000, while NJ Transit insists the figure is $135,000. The union is seeking parity with Long Island Railroad engineers, who earn an average of $49 per hour. NJ Transit claims to have offered this rate, but the union argues that competing railroads pay significantly more.
If the strike proceeds, NJ Transit plans to use buses to accommodate only 20% of the 100,000 daily rail riders, leaving many commuters to find alternative transportation. The last NJ Transit strike occurred in 1983 and lasted about a month.