BLET walked off the job late Thursday night
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineering & Trainmen (BLET) walked away from the negotiating table on Thursday night and its 450 members went on strike at 12:01am Friday.
The strike brought to a halt all trains across New Jersey, a move that immediately affects the rail riders who account for a third of NJ TRANSIT's 350,000 daily commuters. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and NJ TRANSIT CEO Kris Kolluri held a late night press conference at Newark Penn Station where they discussed the strike, the first facing NJ TRANSIT since 1983.
Kolluri has advocated for an agreement that is fair to BLET members and also fiscally responsible. He has repeatedly indicated his support for an agreement that provides an average salary for BLET's members that is comparable to other transit operators across the region. Kolluri has also insisted on an agreement that is fiscally responsible and does not lead to a fare increase or an increase to the Corporate Transit Fee.
BLET's refusal to agree to a fair deal that doesn't tank NJ TRANSIT's finances led to Thursday's walk-out. In comments on Friday morning, Murphy characterized BLET's strike as "a mess of their own making."
The next scheduled negotiating session between the two sides is Sunday. More coverage on the strike and next steps is here. Latest updates from NJ TRANSIT including transit alternatives is here.
Check out more TrueNorth coverage of NJ TRANSIT/BLET negotiations here.
###