NJ Transit, union leaders to meet ahead of schedule on second day of historic strike

Samir Ferdowsi

and

David Giambusso

Published May 17, 2025

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A photo of NJ Transit engineers striking this week.

Kena Betancur/Getty Images

Samir Ferdowsi

and

David Giambusso

Published May 17, 2025

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NJ Transit officials said Saturday morning they will return to the bargaining table with union leaders a day earlier than previously scheduled, amid the historic rail strike that began just after midnight Friday.

NJ Transit President Kris Kolluri said in a press conference that the meeting is set for 1 p.m. and the parties were “95 percent” of the way in making a deal with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.

“We want a fair deal that will not break the bank,” Kolluri said Saturday. “Ultimately fair wages is their position, which I respect. Not breaking the bank is our position that they should respect.”

But union leadership said the Sunday meeting was set by NJ Transit and they would have preferred to keep negotiating Thursday night, into Friday when the strike began, and throughout Saturday.

“We never wanted to leave the table. We would have stayed there to get it done,” union spokesperson Jamie Horowitz said in an interview Saturday morning. “We think it can and should be done.”

The strike, which started at 12:01 a.m. Friday, forced customers to take other means of transit between New Jersey and New York City. NJ Transit officials said Saturday that bus service has been increased but acknowledged crowded conditions were likely, especially during peak weekend hours.

Locomotive engineers have been without a new contract or a pay raise since 2019. Union leaders say the raise they’re seeking would cost NJ Transit $30 million over 7.5 years. Last year’s “fare holiday” — a week of free service as an apology for terrible service — cost the agency $19 million according to New Jersey Monitor.

NJ Transit executives walked away from the negotiating table with union leaders just before 10 p.m. Thursday, setting the stage for the Garden State’s most consequential transportation strike in more than 40 years.

“I ended the meeting by saying the following: You have put forward a proposal that seems fair to you, but it doesn't solve our fundamental issue of fiscal [responsibility],” Kolluri said.

Horowitz said BLET President Mark Wallace ran into Kolluri at New York Penn Station Friday by chance.

“Mark reiterated we want to get this thing done,” said Horowitz, who witnessed the interaction. “Mark reached out to them again and they agreed to meet today."

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