Members of the railroad engineers union for New Jersey Transit went on strike at 12:01 a.m. Friday, crippling a system that around 350,000 people rely on, officials said.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen said that its around 450 members in New Jersey Transit were walking off the job right after midnight in a dispute over pay, bringing the nation’s third-largest transit system to a standstill.
Around an hour before that deadline, Gov. Phil Murphy and New Jersey Transit President Kris Kolluri told reporters that they wanted a fair deal for the union.
But they also said that they could not agree to a preferential deal that would cause the other unions in the transit system to demand the same, which Murphy said would cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
Adding to transport woes, delays were averaging 32 minutes at Newark Liberty International Airport on Friday morning because of severe weather, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
New Jersey Transit “is facing a sobering fiscal reality,” Murphy said.
The union cited low pay as a top issue.
It said that its members at New Jersey Transit are the lowest-paid locomotive engineers of any major passenger railroads in the country.
“They have gone without a raise for six years and have been seeking a new contract since October 2019,” the union said.
New Jersey Transit said that the strike could affect 350,000 people per day, and MetLife Stadium this week warned that there would be no New Jersey Transit bus or rail service for Shakira concerts Thursday and Friday.
The union said that picket lines were set to begin at 4 a.m. Friday, including at Penn Station in Manhattan in New York City.
The union said that the transit agency has millions to spend on a new headquarters in Newark and gave up millions in a fare holiday last year.
“They have money for penthouse views and pet projects, just not for their front-line workers,” BLET National President Mark Wallace said in a statement. “Enough is enough. We will stay out until our members receive the fair pay that they deserve.”
Murphy and Kolluri said they are open to continue negotiations at any time. They urged people able to work from home Friday to do so, and said there would be extra bus service and additional park-and-ride areas.
Amtrak and PATH trains, and buses are still running.
The last time there was a strike at New Jersey Transit was in 1983, more than 40 years ago.
Hoboken Mayor Ravinder S. Bhalla said in a statement on X early Friday that it was “a deeply frustrating moment for Hoboken and the region.”
“NJ Transit and BLET had months to reach an agreement and prevent this disruption, which now impacts hundreds of thousands of commuters and residents,” he said, while urging people to allow extra time for what are sure to be congested journeys.
