Locomotive engineers at NJ Transit and the agency’s management remain at odds as stalled contract negotiations at an impasse over wages threaten to boil over into a disruptive strike in less than a week.
The National Mediation Board has called NJ Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen to Washington on Monday, May 12, to continue mediation.
NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri railed against the agency’s locomotive engineers union before Assembly lawmakers Monday ahead of a looming strike, saying their request for larger pay increases puts them at odds with economic realities.
As a result of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers’ vote against a tentative agreement reached between NJ Transit and the BLET leadership, the BLET is threatening to disrupt the lives of more than 350,000 commuters by calling for a strike as early as 12:01 a.m. on Friday, May 16.
Last week, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen’s rank and file voted to reject the tentative contract that its leaders had reached with NJ Transit in March, setting in motion the potential for a strike at 12:01 a.m. on May 16.
NJ Transit locomotive engineers, represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, have overwhelmingly rejected a tentative contract offer from the railroad.
Amtrak and NJ Transit joined New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy for a working summit ahead of the busy summer 2025 travel season in New Jersey and hoping to avoid another “Summer of Hell.”