New Jersey Transit's train engineers and the agency have reached a tentative agreement, effectively ending a three-day strike that disrupted services across the state and into New York City. The strike, which began on Friday, marked the first such labor action in over four decades and impacted approximately 100,000 daily commuters.
The primary contention in the negotiations was wage parity. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) sought salary increases to align with those of engineers at neighboring transit systems like Amtrak and the Long Island Rail Road. While specific details of the agreement have not been disclosed, union representatives indicated that the new terms offer higher hourly wages without necessitating fare hikes or causing significant budgetary concerns for NJ Transit.
NJ Transit has announced that regular rail services will resume at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, May 20. The additional time allows for necessary inspections and preparations of the infrastructure to ensure safe operations.
This agreement is pending ratification by both the union's membership and the NJ Transit board, with the latter scheduled to vote on June 11.
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