# NJ Transit Strike Looms: Engineers Fight for Fair Pay After Years of Stagnation
New Jersey Transit moves over 350,000 people every day. Now, it’s facing the real possibility of a paralyzing strike as locomotive engineers push for fair pay after years of expired contracts.
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The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) is gearing up for a potential work stoppage. They’ve gone five years without raises, while engineers at other regional railroads make much more. If this happens, it could throw transportation into chaos across the region and spotlight the ongoing tension between essential workers and management—especially in tough economic times.
Understanding the Engineer Pay Gap
The fight boils down to a blunt fact: NJ Transit engineers earn a lot less than their peers. Their hourly pay trails by $10 to $16 compared to folks doing the same job at Amtrak, PATH, Long Island Railroad, and Metro-North.
This gap has stuck around since 2019, when their contract expired. Five years without a raise means inflation has eaten away at their real earnings—by about 24%. It’s left plenty of engineers feeling the pinch.
A History of Stalled Negotiations
An anonymous NJ Transit employee shared that management hasn’t exactly hurried to fix things. Sometimes, they went years without even making a counteroffer. Workers have watched their pay stagnate through the pandemic and the inflation spike that followed.
Legal rules blocked engineers from striking until recently, which handed management a lot of power. In March, both sides finally reached a tentative deal, but 87% of union members shot it down, calling it too little after such a long wait.
Management Rhetoric vs. Economic Reality
NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri has accused the engineers of holding the state “hostage.” He’s also made some pretty bold claims about the financial fallout if the union gets its way.
Kolluri has warned of fare hikes and even financial disaster. But that feels like a stretch, considering engineer pay makes up just 4% of NJ Transit’s workforce costs and an even tinier slice of the total budget.
The Impact on Regional Transportation
If engineers strike, transportation across northern New Jersey will take a big hit. Thousands of commuters who depend on these trains every day could be left scrambling.
Anyone planning a trip to the region—say, getting to Jersey City or other areas NJ Transit serves—faces a lot of uncertainty. Travelers moving between city districts might have to hunt for alternatives, which could drive up demand for rideshares and clog up already busy roads.
What This Means for Jersey City
Jersey City residents and businesses could feel the impact if transit service gets disrupted. The city’s role as a business hub and tourist spot means a lot of folks rely on steady transit connections.
Visitors looking for where to stay in Jersey City should probably keep an eye on the news. Transportation hiccups might end up swaying where people decide to book a room.
Many Jersey City hotels sit close to transit stops that might see changes if a strike happens. That could get pretty inconvenient for travelers who count on public transport.
Local businesses offering things to do in Jersey City might notice shifts in visitor traffic, especially if they depend on day-trippers or tourists who usually come in on NJ Transit.
Jersey City officials keep urging both sides to find some common ground. They want essential workers to get fair pay, but they also know people need transit to keep running smoothly.
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Here is the source article for this story: Op-Ed: Blame Management, Not Workers, For the Looming NJ Transit Strike
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