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Trainmen and engineers go on statewide strike in New Jersey, first time in 42 years

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Sunday, May 18, 2025

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Locomotive engineers picketing at Hoboken Station on May 16, 2025, the first day of the strike by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen which shut down the NJ rail system.
Image: Demetri Andriani.

On Friday, May 16, at 12:01 a.m., members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) union went on strike. The members stated there was lack of agreement with New Jersey (NJ) Transit officials on the terms and conditions of the new contract. NJ Transit commuter trains as well as the MTA Metro-North West of Hudson service have stopped running for the duration of the strike.

The union announced that the strike was expected to last until Sunday, when, according to NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri, the two parties would meet again in Washington, D.C., with federal mediators, the National Mediation Board.

Engineers on strike picketed at the Hoboken Terminal and in front of transit headquarters in Newark, carrying signs that said "Locomotive Engineers on Strike" and "NJ Transit: Millions for Penthouse Views Nothing for Train Crews." The penthouse views mention was a reference to the new headquarters of NJ Transit, as described in a statement by the union's national president Mark Wallace in which he cited the excessive spending on the new building while the money could be at least partially be utilised towards pay increases for the workers. He said, "NJ Transit has a half-billion dollars for a swanky new headquarters and $53 million for decorating the interior of that unnecessary building. They gave away $20 million in revenue during a fare holiday last year. They have money for penthouse views and pet projects, just not for their front-line workers. Enough is enough. We will stay out until our members receive the fair pay that they deserve."

On Friday, Murphy and Kolluri said at a press conference that there is "no sense of panic" amongst NJ Transit officials and that they were "prepared" for the possibility of a strike. NJ Transit officials have estimated that the strike would "disrupt the lives of more than 350,000 commuters" and added "very limited capacity to existing New York commuter bus routes in close proximity to rail stations and contracting with private carriers to operate bus service" as temporary replacement for trains; at the same time, NJ Transit canceled both bus and train services for the concerts of Shakira, a Colombian singer, which she was performing at MetLife Stadium on Thursday and Friday.

Kolluri and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy held a press conference on Thursday evening, leaving negotiation table around 10pm, to forewarn travellers about the Friday strike and recommending for commuters to consider working from home, because, according to NJ Transit, even with the train replacement bus service, it predicted that they could only accommodate "approximately 20% of current rail customers".

On the Sunday meeting, according to the NJ Transit CEO, the parties would aim to negotiate for engineers a pay raise that doesn't "bankrupt" the company and "put it in a death spiral". One of Kris's primary arguments was that NJ Transit going bankrupt would leave the engineers unemployed. Meanwhile, BLET union noted that NJ Transit engineers "make at least $10 less per hour" than Amtrak and Long Island Railroad employees, with the resulting attrition reducing number of NJT engineers from around 500 to around 400 within the last several months.

This was the first statewide NJ Transit rail strike in 42 years. According to BLET union, its NJ Transit members had no pay raise during the last five years.


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