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New Jersey on the brink of its biggest railroad strike in more than 40 years
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published May 14, 2025
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Ramsey Khalifeh
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published May 14, 2025
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The New Jersey Transit board on Wednesday night pushed the Garden State to the brink of its first major rail strike since 1983, adjourning their monthly meeting without cutting a deal with the agency’s locomotive engineer union.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen authorized a strike as early as 12:01 a.m. Friday, which would shut down commuter rail service for roughly 100,000 riders. The union’s leadership reached a tentative agreement with NJ Transit last month, but a majority of the roughly 450 rank-and-file members voted it down.
During the meeting, NJ Transit President Kris Kolluri said he was “supremely optimistic” a deal would be reached by Friday. He has in recent weeks warned New Jersey rail riders a strike could be imminent and said they should prepare to work from home.
“We reached a deal once before and I think we can do it again,” Kolluri said. “It has to be fair for the employees, but it also has to be fair for the taxpayers and the riders.”
Officials said negotiations would resume at 9 a.m. Thursday.
A group of locomotive engineers — the workers who drive NJ Transit’s trains — protested outside Wednesday night’s board meeting in heavy rain, noting they’ve worked without a contract since 2019.
“ We're a 24 hour-a-day, 365 day-a-year operation,” locomotive engineer Tom Haas said. “Usually, what we tell people when they start is that things like weekends, holidays, your children's birthdays, baseball games, things like that, you're gonna miss them.”
If a strike begins on Friday, NJ Transit and the MTA have released service alternative plans, including added bus service and cross-honored tickets. Kolluri said commuter trains that are in service when the strike goes into effect at midnight will still continue to their final stop before the crew walks out.
Tagged
new jersey
transportation
Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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