New Jersey Transit Strike Ends After Three Days, Thousands of Commuters to Return to Work

Strategic Insights -

As the only union at New Jersey Transit representing passenger-train drivers, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen called off the strike at 6 p.m. on Sunday, marking the end of the state's first statewide transit strike in over 40 years. According to NJ Transit, its trains will begin running a full schedule again on Tuesday morning after a three-day disruption. Commuters can expect a full schedule of services to resume with conduct safety inspections and track inspections being completed.

Key Takeaways:

  • The strike, which started at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, lasted for three days, causing disruption to over 350,000 passengers per day, with approximately 70,000 riding the trains into Manhattan on a typical weekday.
  • NJ Transit had estimated that the strike would cost about $4 million per day, with chartered buses accommodating about one-fifth of the usual New York-bound train riders.
  • The union walked out over demands for pay parity with other passenger railroad workers, with NJ Transit's chief executive Kris Kolluri implying that the agreement included concessions on work rules.
  • State officials and union leaders blamed each other for the breakdown in talks before the strike, with Governor Murphy saying the union's actions were a "slap in the face of every commuter and worker who relies on NJ Transit."
  • A previous agreement had been rejected by the engineers, leaving thousands of commuters scrambling to find alternative ways to work.
  • The Partnership for New York City stated that each hour of delayed travel reduced overall productivity in the city by $6 million.

Statistics:

  • Approximately 350,000 passengers per day were affected by the strike.
  • The strike cost NJ Transit an estimated $12 million over the three-day period.
  • Over 70,000 passengers typically ride the trains into Manhattan on a typical weekday from New Jersey Transit.
  • The Partnership for New York City stated that one hour of delayed travel reduced productivity by $6 million.

Sources:

  • "New Jersey Transit strike ends after 3 days, employees will return to work Tuesday" (The New York Times, exact date not specified).
  • "New Jersey faces commuter chaos as transit strike begins" (The New York Times, exact date not specified).