New Jersey bus engineer strikes, potentially affecting 350,000 commuters

Officials said members of the New Jersey Railway Engineering Alliance went on strike at 12:01 a.m. Friday, which left a system on about 350,000 people.

The fraternity of locomotive engineers and trainers said about 450 members in New Jersey left their jobs after midnight in the face of a salary dispute, bringing the third largest transportation system in the United States to a standstill.

About an hour before the deadline, Gov. Phil Murphy and New Jersey Transit president Kris Kolluri told reporters they hope to offer a deal for the league.

But they also said they disagree with a deal that would cause other unions in the transportation system to demand the same deal, which Murphy said would cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Federal Aviation Administration said that due to bad weather, Newark Liberty International Airport was delayed on average by 32 minutes on Friday morning.

“The transit in New Jersey faces a striking financial reality,” Murphy said.

The union takes low wages as the first issue.

It said its members in the New Jersey Transportation Company are highly paid locomotive engineers on any major passenger railroad in the country.

“They haven't had a salary increase for six years and have been seeking new contracts since October 2019,” the union said.

Transit, New Jersey, said the strike could affect 350,000 people a day, and Metropolitan Life Stadium warned this week that bus or rail services in New Jersey will not have bus or rail services in New Jersey on Thursday and Friday.

The union said the pickets are scheduled to start Friday at 4 a.m., including at the Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan, New York City.

The union said the transit agency had millions of dollars for its new headquarters in Newark and gave up millions of dollars during last year's fare holiday.

“They have money on VIP room perspective and pet projects just for frontline workers,” Brett National President Mark Wallace said in a statement. “Enough. We will stay before our members get the fair salary they deserve.”

Murphy and Kolluri said they were willing to continue negotiations at any time. They urged people to work from home on Friday and said additional bus services and other parks and ride areas will be provided.

Amtrak and Path Train and buses are still running.

The last traffic strike in New Jersey was 40 years ago in 1983.

Mayor of Hoboken Ravinder S.

“NJ Transit and Blet have had several months to reach a deal and prevent this disruption, which now affects hundreds of thousands of commuters and residents,” he said.