WASHINGTON — With a strike looming as soon as Friday, officials of NJ Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers met with the National Mediation Board on Monday in Washington. No agreement was reached.
NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri thanked the board for convening the meeting in a statement, adding, “We found the discussion to be constructive and look forward to continuing negotiations in good faith. To respect the collective bargaining process, we will not be sharing any additional details publicly at this time.
The transit agency has cancelled special service it had planned for Shakira concerts at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on May 15-16.
Also, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has announced preparations for increased use of PATH (Port Authority Trans-Hudson) trains in the event of a strike. The agency says it will deploy “customer ambassadors” at stations to assist with wayfinding or other potentially unfamiliar aspects of operations, including new fare payment systems.
“When our customers are facing a challenge in their daily commute, we step up,” PATH Director/General Manager Clarelle DeGraffe said in a press release. PATH says it will operate on its regular schedule, but will monitor conditions and add service as necessary to address crowding. More details on PATH plans, as well as how NJ Transit bus operations will affect PATH facilities, are available here.
Previously, New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority had outlined its plans in the event of an NJ Transit strike, emphasizing options for its West of Hudson customers, who reach New York via NJ Transit. As of Monday, Metro-North’s Hudson and Harlem lines have been cross-honoring tickets from passengers in Orange and Rockland counties who usually use the joint MTA-NJ Transit service. A summary of options for travelers, including ferry and bus connections, is available here.
“Our personnel have been planning alternatives for weeks,” Metro-North President Justin Vonashek said in a press release, “and we strongly encourage customers to cross the river and use our highly reliable rail options for the duration of any New Jersey Transit work stoppage.”
BLET members rejected a tentative contract agreement in a vote last month, setting the stage for the first NJ Transit strike since 1983 [see “NJ Transit engineers reject contract,” April 15, 2025]. A 30-day cooling off period to allow further negotiations ends Friday at 12:01 a.m.; at that time, the union can strike or NJ Transit can lock out the workers.
— Updated at 12:08 p.m. CT with PATH information; updated May 14 at 5:50 p.m. CT with previously announced MTA information.
