50 BLET Members to Strike at Nation’s Third Largest Commuter Railroad

(NEWARK, N.J.) – This morning, 450 locomotive engineers at New Jersey Transit (NJT) will launch the first strike at the railroad since 1983. The railroaders are represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) of the Teamsters Rail Conference.

“Railroad executives had every opportunity to reach a fair deal, but these fucking clowns chose to waste money on decorating their lavish penthouse offices. New Jersey Transit could have avoided this strike, but they blew it,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “Rail Teamsters are the best in the business and deserve better than to be low-balled and disrespected.”

Management refuses to offer a contract that pays BLET members the industry standard. NJT locomotive engineers have gone without a raise since their contract became amendable in 2019. Meanwhile, NJT spent half-a-billion dollars on an unnecessary new headquarters –– far exceeding what it would cost to pay their workers fairly.

“This strike could be over in an instant if NJT offers a fair contract,” said Mark Wallace, President of the BLET and the Teamsters Rail Conference. “Our members at NJT only want to be paid the same as engineers who work for other commuter railroads that share the same train platforms. NJT can afford it. We will hold the line for as long as it takes.”

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents over 1.3 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on X @Teamsters and on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.

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