Massive strike paralyzes third largest US rail network
According to the international economics section of webangah News Agency, citing CNN via Tasnim News Agency, employees of New Jersey transit went on a large-scale strike early Friday, completely halting train movements in the third-largest passenger rail transportation network in the U.S.
The final day of negotiations between the company and the engineers’ and train operators’ union failed to reach an agreement to prevent the strike in its closing moments.
The work stoppage could cause serious disruptions for approximately 100,000 daily commuters,businesses in New York City’s metropolitan area,as well as fans of certain artists who may struggle to reach concerts at a stadium near Manhattan.
Both sides confirmed that talks ended shortly before 10 p.m. Thursday Eastern Time.
Chris Coluri, president of New Jersey Transit, attended a press conference alongside New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.
Coluri stated during the conference that both parties were close to an agreement but could not settle on wages deemed affordable by state officials and NJ Transit management.
He announced that negotiations would resume Sunday morning but expressed readiness to restart talks sooner if requested by the union.
“We want fair compensation for union members—but not demands that push NJ Transit into financial crisis,” Coluri and Murphy emphasized jointly.
An earlier tentative deal—which included their first wage increase since 2019 plus back pay—was rejected by ~87% of voting union members (approximately 500 engineers). Even with these terms, proposed salaries lagged behind those at national railroads and regional competitors.
mark Wallace, head of America’s Railroad Engineers & Operators Union, criticized NJ Transit’s $500M spending on luxury headquarters + $53M interior decor while claiming frontline workers remain underpaid: “They lost $20M last year from free-ticket promotions… Money for penthouse views but not fair wages? Enough! No return until our members get justice.”
NJ Transit officials acknowledged expanding bus services anticipating strikes but admitted capacity would cover only “a very limited number”[1]
