The NJ Transit strike entered a third day Sunday, with negotiations aimed at ending the historic work stoppage scheduled to resume.
A meeting between state officials and union negotiators with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen ended without a deal Saturday afternoon, NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri said.
Discussions will resume Sunday, with both sides joined by a representative from the National Mediation Board.
“Today’s discussions continued to be constructive,” Kolluri said after talks ended Saturday. “We’ve mutually agreed to adjourn formal discussions for the day but will continue talking and look forward to resuming discussions tomorrow.”
NJ Transit rail service was halted just after midnight Friday in the agency’s first strike since 1983. The strike affects tens of thousands of train commuters.
Some worked from home Friday, while others switched to driving to work, taking the bus or alternative rail options, such as PATH or Amtrak.
NJ Transit will offer expanded bus service starting Monday, if the strike remains ongoing. State officials advised commuters to plan to work from home, if they can.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, which represents 460 engineers, said they haven’t had a raise since 2019 and, just prior to announcing the strike, accused NJ Transit and Gov. Phil Murphy of abandoning negotiations as the midnight deadline approached Friday.
Murphy spokeswoman Natalie Hamilton told NJ Advance Media the union “rejected multiple offers that met their wage goals in a fiscally responsible manner.”
Mark Wallace, the union’s national president, said he is hopeful that an agreement can be reached by Monday.
“I know that the passengers of NJ Transit and the New Jersey citizens seem to be suffering today, but that’s NJ Transit’s fault. My locomotive engineers have sacrificed for six years,” Wallace said.
Prior to Thursday night, both sides said they had agreed on 95% of the contract issues. NJ Transit rejected the union’s counter offer on wages on May 5.
Payroll figures released by NJ Transit officials for 2024 placed the average gross salary for engineers at $135,401 including overtime and additions. That figure includes an engineers base pay and over time.
Union officials said the average salary for all engineers is lower than the agency’s figures. NJ Transit said that the average is higher and that most engineers earn some form of overtime.
The union’s latest proposal would push the top union salaries above $314,000 by 2027, costing taxpayers $1.36 billion over five years, according to NJ Transit.
Kolluri acknowledged the impact on riders but said the agency is focused on finding a resolution that is “fair and fiscally responsible.”
Officials said the union rejected the same contract accepted by 14 other rail unions.
U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, who is running for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in June, said Friday that both sides need to remain at the table but didn’t rule out federal intervention.
“If they can’t figure this out soon, Congress needs to step in,” said Gottheimer, D-5th Dist. ”We can’t afford to have our great transit system frozen so people can’t get to work and see their loved ones.“
Gottheimer also asked New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to suspend congestion pricing and asked the Port Authority to freeze tolls for people who hold monthly unlimited NJ Transit passes during the strike.
NJ Transit’s bus lines and light rail systems continue to operate while other rail services including Amtrak, PATH, PATCO and SEPTA are also running.
NJ Transit’s contingency plan if the strike continues into Monday is to move rail commuters to bus routes which can only accommodate about 20,000 daily commuters, Kolluri said.
NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report.
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Matthew Enuco may be reached at Menuco@njadvancemedia.com.