NJ Transit riders listen up, service may be disrupted starting on May 16th!
A potential strike is in the works by the agency’s union engineers, The NJ Transit Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, if they don’t strike a deal about higher wages.
The two parties have yet to reach an agreement on increased compensation for the train engineers.
Workers have pushed for as high as average salaries of $225,000 and $190,000 in recent months—but has since been refuted by NJ Transit since with a settling at $172,000.
“Our proposal would have had the average engineer at $170,000 in 2029, so literally four years from today, that’s with industry standard wage increase annually for the years to come.” said Tom Haas, B.L.E.T Chairman.
So what does this mean for my NJ transit commute starting May 16?
If the engineers’ strike happens, NJ Transit rail service will be completely suspended, including Metro-North service west of the Hudson.
🚨 No trains will run at all and more than 350,000 daily NJ TRANSIT customers would be impacted! 🚨
NJ Transit has put a contingency plan in case this happens, which start off the bat with strongly encourage commuters to work from home and limit travel unless essential.
The agency brought on two extra bus companies to boost capacity.
Existing commuter bus routes near rail stations will have extra buses during peak times, covering the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast, Raritan Valley, Morris & Essex, Montclair-Boonton, Main/Bergen County, and Pascack Valley Lines.
Plus, four new routes will be added from park-and-ride locations in Secaucus, Woodbridge Center mall, PNC Bank Arts Center, and the Hamilton rail station.
Keep in mind that the plan will only be able to accommodate 20% of rail riders, so expect long waits, crowded conditions, and limited parking at Park & Ride lots.