May 16 (UPI) -- New Jersey Transit engineers went on strike early Friday, after last-minute negotiations on a pay increase fell apart, bringing all rail service to a halt.
"Due to a strike by locomotive engineers represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, all NT TRANSIT rail service is currently suspended," a notice published to NJ Transit social media early Friday reads.
On its website, NJ Transit is encouraging those who can work from home to do so.
"NJ TRANSIT has developed a contingency plan that will accommodate an extremely limited number of rail customers," it said in a statement.
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"This contingency plan includes adding 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 from key regional Park & Ride locations during weekday peak periods."
The strike began at 12:01 a.m. EDT Friday, when NJ Transit's 450 engineers and trainees left work and took to picket lines across the system.
According to the BLET union, some 15 hours of contract talks on Thursday fell apart at about 10 p.m. when NJ Transit managers walked away from the table.
It said their actions "forced a strike despite the transit agency having the funds for a raise."
"Trains that usually run 365 days a year will come to a stop," it said in a statement.
The engineers have been seeking a new contract since 2019, and the union is seeking a pay raise for its engineers, stating that NJ Transit engineers make at least $10 less per hour than those working for comparable passenger rail services that use the same rails.
The union says the service has the money to pay its workers but is choosing not to, pointing to its $500 million new headquarters in Newark as proof.
"They have money for penthouse views and pet projects, but not for their frontline workers," BLET National President Mark Wallace said in a statement.
"Enough is enough. We will stay out until our members receive the fair pay that they deserve."
The strike comes after a tentative deal between the union and NJ Transit was reached in March, but it was rejected in mid-April by 87% of the union's members.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy told reporters in a late Thursday press conference that the deal would have paid them a comparable wage to engineers of other services and "would have given their members almost exactly what they have asked for."
"Crucially, that contract would have provided our engineers their hard-earned raises without blowing up NJ Transit's budget," he said.
"So while the BLET's members ultimately rejected that agreement, this much is without dispute: we must reach a final deal that is both fair to employees and at the same time affordable for New Jersey's commuters and taxpayers."
NJ Transit estimates more than 350,000 daily customers will be impacted by the strike
Kris Kolluri, CEO and president of NJ Transit, said during the press conference that the two sides are scheduled to resume negotiations on Sunday.
