NJ Transit has been unable to come to a contract agreement with locomotive engineers, leading to the first major transit strike in New Jersey since 1983.
The rail system had been cautioning commuters for days about potential major service disruptions across its network in the event of a strike, impacting its 800,000 daily riders.
“After 15 hours of continuous contract talks today, no agreement on a wage increase was reached this evening,” the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union stated about 30 minutes before the 11:59 p.m. deadline.
BLET mentioned that New Jersey Transit managers “walked out of the talks shortly before 10 pm and through their actions have forced a strike despite the transit agency having the funds for a raise.”
“Trains that usually run 365 days a year will come to a stop.”
BLET had been requesting its first pay increase since 2019 for 450 of its engineers, with NJ Transit having the ability to fully fund the sought increase with a seven-and-a-half year contract for less than $30 million.
During a late-night press conference on Thursday, Gov. Phil Murphy was informed by a reporter that the union planned to proceed with the strike early Friday.
“That’s the union’s decision, it sounds like they made that decision,” the Democrat responded when asked about the walk-off.
The rail service’s proposed operating budget for fiscal year 2026 amounted to $3.2 billion.
Negotiations were ongoing with mediators in Newark through the May 15 deadline, but the sides could not come to an agreement in time to avoid a work stoppage.
The union stated on Thursday that its engineers are the “lowest paid locomotive engineers working for a commuter railroad in the nation” — a claim that NJ Transit has refuted.
With the strike underway, union members will form picket lines across the system starting at 4 a.m. on Friday morning at various locations.
NJ Transit posted notices at major transit hubs warning customers of potential service disruptions and advised them to complete their travels by the specified deadline.
The rail system also requested riders to work from home if possible during the strike and limit travel to “essential purposes only.”
NJ Transit announced that it would focus its resources on New York-bound customers, including those transferring to PATH trains at Hoboken Terminal and Newark Penn Station.
For additional information and updates, travelers are directed to njtransit.com/railstoppage.
Mayor Eric Adams assured commuters that officials are monitoring the situation and will have shuttles in place to mitigate crowding, urging riders to plan ahead.
NYC Emergency Management is coordinating with NJ Transit to minimize disruptions and support commuters during the strike.
Be prepared for potential crowding, delays, and limited capacity on other transit options if a rail strike occurs, and plan your travel accordingly.
