The New Jersey Transit engineers say they will stay on strike until a fair deal is reached|@Teamsters|X
New Jersey Transit engineers walked off their jobs, triggering the first statewide rail strike in over 40 years. The strike left nearly 350,000 daily riders traveling to New York in the lurch.
The walkout followed failed contract talks on Thursday and comes after 87% of union members rejected the latest labor deal.
It halted all commuter trains just after midnight, affecting travel to key destinations including Penn Station, Newark Airport and the MetLife Stadium, where NJ Transit had to cancel service for Shakira’s concerts. People were forced to take buses, taxis or ferries to reach their destinations.
NJ Transit has recently seen large engineer attrition, with workers shrinking from 500 to 400. Many leave for higher pay at Amtrak and the Long Island Railroad.
The engineers say they will stay on strike until a fair deal is reached. NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri and Governor Phil Murphy said the state had moved close to union wage demands but stressed concerns about long-term affordability. New talks are scheduled for Sunday.
Not the first
The NJ strike is the second one faced by a big employer. Starbucks saw over 2,000 employees walk off their jobs at 120 US stores this week against a new dress policy and demanding better wages.