NJ Transit ready for strike, comes out swinging against $55,000 raises per worker

💲 NJ Transit rail commuters face a possible strike on May 16

💲 Engineers want massive pay raises

💲 A contingency plan would serve only 20% of riders

NJ Transit is hoping for the best but planning for the worst as CEO Kris Kolluri laid out the railroad’s contingency plan in the case engineers go on strike May 16.

At issue is what Kolluri calls a sense of entitlement among members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) after rejecting NJ Transit's initial offer that was negotiated in good faith and seemed to be on a path of approval by the union. Instead, it was rejected by the majority of the union's 372 members.

Kolluri said that NJ Transit engineers make an average of $135,000 a year and want a $55,000 raise to $190,000 to bring their salaries in line with other regional passenger railroads.

"These 372 members who live in New Jersey, who work in New Jersey, somehow believe that they are entitled to make wages like they live in New York and work in New York. No one that I know would ever ask for that deal. But that is where we are. What does that mean in real terms for the state of New Jersey, for the taxpayers of New Jersey, for whom all of us work for, including the locomotive engineers," Kolluri said.

Kolluri said that the other agencies that the union compares itself to are all in dire straits. He pointed out SEPTA, which is about to cut service by 45% and raise fares by 20%. The MTA has a $400 million debt over two years. By comparison, Kolluri said Gov. Phil Murphy and the legislature have provided NJ Transit with a steady flow of income.

"In asking for this pay raise, the unions are saying loud and clear that they want NJ Transit to be with SEPTA, Chicago and MTA. Well, my friends, that ain't going to happen under my watch," Kolluri said.

Kolluri said that if a strike is called, NJ Transit's contingency plan for its rail service will provide service to only 20% of its riders at a cost of $4 million per day.

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Both sides say they don't want a strike

Kolluri said that even with a contingency plan, the overall goal is to prevent any stoppage.

“I have met with union leadership several times and will continue to negotiate in good faith, because a strike isn’t good for employees, and it certainly isn’t good for the 350,000 customers who depend on us every day," Kolluri said.

He advised purchasing tickets on a daily basis via NJ Transit's app as no ticket refunds will be issued because of a strike.

BLET General Chairman Tom Haas told New Jersey 101.5 said Kolluri does not address the economic reality that engineers face.

"New Jersey Transit engineers earn almost 20% less than almost every other passenger railroad in the United States," Haas said. "We're not asking to completely make up this shortage to be where we're the top earners in the United States. But the fact is that engineers can barely afford to live in the state that they work in and serve."

Haas said that not every NJ Transit employee would get the full pay increase but said the ball is in the railroad's court over a possible strike.

"We are ready, willing and able to meet with New Jersey Transit. We're looking forward to continuing negotiations to try to avert any type of a work stoppage. But again, like I say, New Jersey Transit has to meet us at the table in a serious way," Haas said.

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