Katya Yindra and Albert Hernandez
New Jersey’s first statewide transit strike in over 40 years ended on Sunday, May 18 after striking locomotive engineers reached a tentative contract agreement. The engineers, who are represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), have been working without a contract or a raise since 2019. Their walkout Friday, May 16, brought all NJ Transit rail service to a halt and disrupted the daily commutes of around 350,000 riders.
The main issue was wages. The union says engineers at NJ Transit are paid significantly less than those at Amtrak and other regional rail systems.
NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri, who makes $280,000 per year, dismissed the engineers’ demands and reportedly called them “entitled,” suggesting they were asking for wages as if they lived in New York City. In contrast, BLET National President Mark Wallace pointed to NJ Transit’s recent spending: “NJ Transit has a half-billion dollars for a swanky new headquarters and $53 million for decorating the interior of that unnecessary building… They have money for penthouse views and pet projects, just not for their front-line workers.”
NJ Transit estimated it could only serve about 20% of regular rail passengers during the strike.
Democratic governor Phil Murphy criticized the engineers, calling the strike “a mess of their own making,” rather than a reasonable response to six years of wage stagnation amid inflation. He called the strike “a slap in the face of every commuter,” attempting to pit workers against each other.
The strike came after 87% of voting workers rejected a previous contract proposal, and following years of delay during which federal intervention under the Railway Labor Act—including actions by President Biden last year—kept the workers on the job without a resolution. BLET President Mark Wallace thanked Congress for not blocking Friday’s strike in a statement posted to the union’s website.
While the union announced that the tentative agreement includes higher hourly pay than the previously rejected offer, the full terms have not yet been disclosed. Engineers will vote on the deal in the coming weeks.
Some NJ Transit engineers spoke with The Worker about their thoughts on the strike ending:
“Man. I thought we were going to keep going, keep fighting until we got the contract we wanted. Instead, we were used.” said one engineer. “I understand we have to get back to work eventually. But we could have pressed them [NJ Transit] a little more. We are the ones who keep NJ Transit going, not the executives.”
“The union seems like they are for us up to a point,” the same worker added. “Afterwards they just seem like they are for the top executives.”
Others called for changes from within. “We need more people who want what we want in the positions of our union leadership,” one worker emphasized. “Then they won’t be able to stop us.”
Some workers remained optimistic, with one saying, “This is not the end. More struggles are bound to happen.” He continued, “Next time we have to wake up workers from all sectors in NJ Transit. One strong fist”, referencing the fact that the engineers struck alone, while the unions representing other NJ Transit workers settled for their own contracts and stayed on the job.
This article has been updated for accuracy regarding Biden’s use of the Railway Labor Act.
Image: Striking NJ Transit train engineers at Penn Station, NYC Teamsters social media
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