New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit) train engineers went on strike Friday, leaving as many as 350,000 commuters without running trains.
NJ Transit created a contingency plan in response to the strike, according to a notice released by NJ Transit. It focused its available resources on transporting over 70,000 commuters headed for New York, increasing capacity on bus routes to New York and using the regional Park & Ride service.
NJ Transit estimated that, even with these changes, it would only be able to transport about 20% of its regular rail customers. Multiple outlets reported that as many as 350,000 people use the rail system each day.
NJ Transit’s notice encouraged “all those who can work from home to do so and limit traveling on the NJ Transit system to essential purposes only.”
The BLET claimed NJ Transit managers walked out of the talks just prior to 10 p.m. and “forced a strike despite the transit agency having the funds for a raise.”
However, Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri said blame for the strike falls on BLET, according to the New Jersey Monitor. They claimed the union called for salary increases they would have end up providing to NJ Transit’s other unions, leading to bankruptcy. Union leaders said their wages were far below what other railroads paid their engineers.
Source: The Daily Caller
