Boarding NJ Transit trains may not be possible for New York-bound commuters come May 16th. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers + Trainmen, the labor union representing NJ Transit locomotive engineers, has threatened to strike on that day. If this were to happen, the NJ Transit rail service would undergo a complete suspension, impacting approximately 350,000 people, including 70,000 travellers who transfer to PATH trains at Hoboken Terminal and Newark Penn Station. Read on for what to know about this potential NJ Transit strike and what it would mean for local commuters.
In late April, 87% of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers leaders + Trainmen leadership (BLET), the labor union representing NJ Transit engineers, voted down a tentative agreement with NJ Transit, citing the need for higher wages. Currently, engineers make an average of $135,000 annually, with the highest earners surpassing $200,000, according to a statement released by NJ Transit.
This agreement, initially proposed by NJ Transit, would have permitted locomotive engineers to make $172,856 beginning on July 1st, 2027, with the highest-paid locomotive engineer earning $286,000, an offer that the agency claims is competitive within the Northern New Jersey region. “It isn’t reasonable to live and work in New Jersey, but demand to be paid like you live and work in New York,” NJ Transit said in a statement.
BLET has proposed a salary increase of $314,174 in 2027. NJ Transit, hesitant to accept the union’s proposal, has claimed that “BLET’s current demands would cost taxpayers and NJ Transit $1.363 billion between July 2025 and June 2030,” this being “$684 million more than what was tentatively agreed to by BLET leadership in March.” To accept the union’s current demands, NJ Transit would need to either increase commuter fares by 17% and the corporate transit fee by 27%, starting in the 2026 fiscal year, or implement “drastic reductions to service systemwide.”
Unless BLET leaders and NJ Transit come to a new agreement, BLET has threatened to strike on Friday, May 16th at 12:01AM. This would lead to a full shutdown of all NJ TRANSIT rail services, including the Metro-North Railroad west of Hudson service.
Source: hobokengirl.com
