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8/9/2023
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) has called for a strike authorization vote at New Jersey Transit.
Five hundred locomotive engineers employed by NJ Transit are receiving ballots this week from their national union seeking to call a strike at the nation’s third-largest commuter railroad, BLET officials said in a press release. The ballots will be due Aug. 31.
The locomotive engineers and their union have been seeking a new contract since October 2019. The contract dispute has been in National Mediation Board-sponsored mediation for nearly three years.
NJ Transit has insisted that engineers adhere to “pattern bargaining” with other NJ Transit work groups, BLET officials said. The union maintains that NJ Transit should have wages closer to engineers’ wages at other commuter railroads. With the exception of one other transit agency, NJT’s engineers are the lowest paid engineers working in commuter service in the nation, according to BLET.
"The absence of a pay raise during a period of high inflation has persisted for four years, which is too long. Our members cannot continue working for subpar wages. They have had enough," said BLET National President Eddie Hall.