NJ Transit officials said on Saturday morning that they will be getting back to the bargaining table with union leaders a day earlier than what was planned before, amid the historic rail strike that kicked off just after midnight Friday. NJ Transit President Kris Kolluri mentioned in a press conference that the meeting is scheduled for 1 p.m. and that the parties were “95 percent” of the way in making a deal with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. “We want a fair deal that won’t break the bank,” Kolluri said on Saturday. “Ultimately fair wages is their position, which I respect. Not breaking the bank is our position that they should respect.”
Union leadership expressed that the Sunday meeting was arranged by NJ Transit and they would have rather continued negotiating on Thursday night, into Friday when the strike started, and throughout Saturday. “We never wanted to leave the table. We would have stayed there to get it done,” union spokesperson Jamie Horowitz mentioned in an interview on Saturday morning. “We think it can and should be done.” The strike, which began at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, compelled customers to seek other means of transit between New Jersey and New York City. NJ Transit officials stated on Saturday that bus service has been ramped up but accepted that crowded conditions were likely, particularly during peak weekend hours.
Locomotive engineers have been without a new contract or a pay raise since 2019. Union leaders say the raise they’re seeking would cost NJ Transit $30 million over 7.5 years. Last year’s “fare holiday” — a week of free service as an apology for terrible service — cost the agency $19 million according to New Jersey Monitor. NJ Transit executives walked away from the negotiating table with union leaders just before 10 p.m. on Thursday, setting the stage for the Garden State’s most consequential transportation strike in more than 40 years. “I ended the meeting by saying the following: You have put forward a proposal that seems fair to you, but it doesn’t solve our fundamental issue of fiscal [responsibility],” Kolluri said. Horowitz said BLET President Mark Wallace ran into Kolluri at New York Penn Station Friday by chance. “Mark reiterated we want to get this thing done,” said Horowitz, who witnessed the interaction. “Mark reached out to them again and they agreed to meet today.”
