Clock ticking toward New Jersey Transit rail strike
A walkout at midnight on Friday would halt all NJ Transit commuter trains impacting 350,000 riders
NEW JERSEY (WABC) -- Talks resume on Thursday between NJ Transit and its rail engineers' union to try to reach an agreement to avert a walkout by the union early Friday.
Outside NJ Transit headquarters on Wednesday, members of the Brotherhood of Engineers rallied and chanted, "Millions of paid their dues; it's time to pay the train crews."
"We take a lot of pride in what we do, but we also need to put food on the table," said NJ Transit engineer Daniel Feyjoo.
Feyjoo has worked as a locomotive engineer for 19 years, and was one of the workers who rallied outside the headquarters.
"We're moving people. If we mess up, there's consequences, sometimes dire consequences," Feyjoo said.
"We don't want this to be the end result. We will meet again tomorrow. Hopefully, we will get a resolution," Tom Haas, General Chairman of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, said.
A walkout at midnight on Friday would halt all NJ Transit commuter trains, which provide heavily used public transit routes between New York City's Penn Station on one side of the Hudson River and communities in northern New Jersey on the other.
A rail strike would impact some 350,000 commuters who work in New Jersey and New York City. NJ Transit is the nation's third-largest transit system, operating buses and rail in the state, providing nearly 1 million weekday trips.
Wages and working conditions have been the main sticking points of the negotiations between the agency and the union.
The union claims its members earn an average salary of $113,000 a year and says an agreement could be reached if agency CEO Kris Kolluri agrees to an average yearly salary of $170,000.
NJ Transit leadership, though, disputes the union's data, saying the engineers have average total earnings of $135,000 annually, with the highest earners exceeding $200,000.
"What I can represent is the conversations have been constructive and we're all trying to work towards the same objective," Kolluri said. "They want to make a fair wage, I want to make sure it's fiscally responsible."
New Jersey Transit and BLET representatives met Monday with the National Mediation Board in Washington, D.C., to continue negotiations. There was no public BLET statement following the National Mediation Board meeting, nor did BLET immediately respond to an ABC News request for comment.
If the walkout does happen, it would be the state's first transit strike in more than 40 years.
If the engineers do walk off the job, NJ Transit plans to increase bus service, saying it would add "very limited" capacity to existing New York commuter bus routes near rail stations and will contract with private carriers to operate bus service from key regional park-and-ride locations during weekday peak periods.
However, the agency notes that the buses would not be able to handle anywhere close to the same number of passengers, urging people who can work from home to do so if there is a strike.
Should a strike last through the weekend, NJ Transit will have some additional contingency plans in place for Monday morning.
Charter buses will run from four satellite lots around the state. Two of those park-and-ride lots will go directly into Manhattan.
Important to note: NJ Transit will not offer cross-honour tickets at these park and ride locations.
For example, a round-trip ticket from the PNC Arts Center to New York City will cost $48.
Additionally, NJ Transit will increase its bus service on some routes that are close to rail lines
If you plan to go to the airport, the Port Authority will operate a free, direct shuttle bus service from Newark Penn Station.
NJ Transit will add more buses to and from the Midtown Bus Terminal with its own fleet.
PATH trains will run on normal schedule and may add more trains if the Port Authority sees the need.
There will be Amtrak service along with NJ Transit buses to and from Newark Airport at Penn Station. You'd need an Amtrak ticket to use that service.
Port Authority buses will also be available. Commuter charter bus service companies are also adding thousands of seats, available for reservations every day of the week.
NYC Emergency Management says it is closely coordinating with NJ TRANSIT and partner agencies ahead of a potential disruption on Friday. If a rail strike happens, the agency advises commuters to be prepared for crowding, delays, and limited capacity on other transit options.
The potential strike is already causing some disruptions. On Monday, NJ Transit said it will not operate train or bus service to MetLife Stadium for Shakira concerts scheduled for Thursday night and Friday.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey today announced scheduled lane closures at its Hudson River crossings will be delayed on the evenings of Thursday, May 15 and Friday, May 16, to ease vehicular travel for Shakira fans who plan to drive to and from MetLife Stadium in light of canceled mass transit options.
To accommodate increased vehicular traffic, planned overnight lane closures at the Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel, and George Washington Bridge, which typically begin as early as 9 p.m., will be delayed until at least 1 a.m.
It's not clear yet if NJ Transit will provide service for Beyonce fans who plan to attend her shows at MetLife from May 22 to 29.
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Some information from ABC News and the Associated Press
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