“If one union gets a better deal than the other, the one that did not get a better deal, it’s automatically entitled to that compensation,” Kolluri said. “That is basically where the dispute stands.”
According to Murphy, the original deal offered to the union would have provided the engineers “their hard-earned raises without blowing up NJ Transit’s budget” but it was ultimately rejected by the union members.
Murphy said NJ Transit is ready to continue negotiations whenever the union wants to meet, and both sides have been invited to reconvene by the National Mediation Board on Sunday.
But for now, the engineers are on strike.
A tentative agreement reached in April called for engineers to get a 4% annual pay raise, but union members overwhelmingly rejected the deal.
At that time they were demanding salary hikes of 18% to 23 %, but the transit authority resisted the ask, citing budget constraints.
The engineers have been working without a contract since 2019.
About 350,000 commuters take NJ Transit trains daily. The agency’s strike contingency plan calls for increased bus service from four temporary park and ride locations, but officials said the plan will only accommodate about 20% of travelers and recommended that people work from home, if possible.
