NJ Transit Strike Persists as Both Sides Meet Mediator Sunday

UPDATE: New Jersey Transit and the engineers' union have struck a deal to resolve the impending walkout.

The NJ Transit trains remain out of service on Sunday as well. engineer strike It entered its third day as discussions went on with a mediator present at NJ Transit headquarters in Newark.

Last week, both sides met with federal mediators in Washington, D.C., aiming to prevent the strike.

The engineers union, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen They had a meeting lasting around three and a half hours with the president of NJ Transit on Saturday. The BLET union speaks for approximately 400 out of the company’s 12,000 employees. They mention that their members have not received a salary increase in five years and earn $10 per hour less compared to other locomotive engineers within the Tri-State region.

The NJ Transit CEO Kris Kollui stated a press briefing on Saturday morning The agency seeks a reasonable agreement that remains within budget constraints, yet acknowledged that the talks have been productive. Kolluri mentioned that he feels they are approximately 95% towards reaching an accord.

Tom Haas, who represents the BLET, addressed CBS News New York from the picketing area. He mentioned that both parties have maintained approximately a 95% consensus for around two years now, with only certain minor points left to resolve. Haas expressed his hope for an expedited settlement.

"No one wishes to be here. These aren’t joyous times for us. We’ve been compelled into this situation. A circumstance that’s unavoidable. The quicker we can conclude this, the better for everyone involved—the passengers, NJ Transit, the operators, and indeed, the whole state,” stated Haas.

New Jersey Transit states that they have an emergency backup strategy. if the strike extends into the Monday commute Approximately 100,000 individuals commute via NJ Transit trains each day; however, over 350,000 customers throughout the entire transit system experience disruptions.

BLET representatives stated that should they come to a provisional agreement, their members would go back to working.

A strike by NJ Transit in 1983 went on for approximately three weeks.