New Jersey Transit, train union speak out on first day of strike
NEW JERSEY (PIX11) -- Negotiations between New Jersey Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) are scheduled to resume Sunday with the National Mediation Board.
Both sides said they are willing to come to the table before then to close a deal.
“It did not have to come to this,” said Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday. “It’s frankly a mess of their own making.”
“This rests at the feet of New Jersey Transit,” said Tom Haas, General Chairman of BLET.
BLET said NJ Transit walked away from the negotiating table two hours before Friday’s midnight strike deadline.
“We thought we had a deal last night,” said James Louis, BLET National Vice President. “We were that close. But all of a sudden, they said no.”
New Jersey Transit CEO Kris Kolluri describes it differently.
“When we ended last night, we ended on a very conciliatory note,” said Kolluri. “I said, why don’t we do this: take time to think about it. And we’ll take time to think about it. And then we’ll continue talking to reach a solution.”
BLET claims NJ Transit’s offers do not make their salaries competitive compared to other railroads.
“All we’re asking for is just to try and get a fair contract,” said Louis.
“Every single New Jersey Transit employee - every single union employee - is paid less than their counterpart at other area passenger railroads,” said Haas.
New Jersey Transit said it is trying to strike a deal that balances fairness with fiscal responsibility.
“This is not about not giving them a fair wage,” said Kolluri. “It’s about how do you do it in a fiscally responsible manner that doesn’t bankrupt New Jersey Transit and puts it on a death spiral.”
Murphy said NJ Transit offered roughly the same hourly wage as engineers for Long Island Rail Road. BLET argues it’s not that simple.
“LIRR…has not had a contract in three years,” said Louis. “So the pay rate is three years behind. And the contract that they’re offering us, the pay rate would be two years from now.”
Both sides said they remain ready and willing to come back to the negotiating table at any time.
“If New Jersey Transit wants to talk, we told them we’re ready to go,” said Louis.
“Our doors are open. We are ready to restart negotiations literally this second,” said Murphy.