Both sides called to Washington for talks to avoid New Jersey Transit strike
NEW JERSEY (WABC) -- As a potential New Jersey Transit strike looms, the National Mediation Board is asking both sides to to Washington, D.C., on Monday to resume discussions.
New Jersey Transit officials and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union appear to be at an impasse.
Train engineers are demanding a raise in their salaries and some 450 could walk off the job a week from Friday if both sides don't reach an agreement.
New Jersey Transit has cited numbers showing the average engineer makes $135,000 per year.
"We have sought nothing more than equal pay for equal work, only to be continuously rebuffed by New Jersey Transit. Now, New Jersey Transit officials have repeatedly said that locomotive engineers earn on average $135,000 per year. Unfortunately for the locomotive engineers in New Jersey Transit, this is simply not the case," said BLET Union General Chairman Tom Haas.
New Jersey Transit displayed numbers from a previous agreement that union members voted down.
The union says the average is only $113,000 per year, far short of engineers at the Long Island Rail Road and Amtrak.
Each side claims they want to avoid a strike, but accusations are reaching a boiling point.
"They're trying to make New Jersey the test case for the rest of the country and I am telling you today that if this game that they are playing does not stop, every transportation agency that this union is going to negotiate with is going to be on a path to bankruptcy," said New Jersey Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri.
Meanwhile, MetroNorth is working on alternative travel plans as a strike could impact customers from Rockland and Orange counties.
Many of those passengers rely on the Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines on NJ Transit to get to their destinations.
"While the MTA is not part of this labor dispute, we may be affected by it and we're taking steps to minimize disruptions for MTA customers," said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. "We will be cross-honoring West of Hudson tickets and supporting a range of alternative travel options and riders in Orange County and Rockland County should sign up for service alerts for the latest information."
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