On Friday, a strike launched by New Jersey Transit rail engineers disrupted commutes for approximately 350,000 people traveling between New Jersey and New York City, forcing them to find alternative transportation or consider staying home.

The strike began after the latest round of talks failed on Thursday. It's the first time in over 40 years that the state's transport system has been affected by industrial action, following union members' overwhelming rejection of a proposed labour agreement with management last month.

"Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen President Tom Haues stated that they submitted their final proposal, but the other party rejected it and ended negotiations a mere two hours before the deadline."

新泽西捷运的负责人克里斯·科鲁里认为，现在的状况是“暂停对话”。

他在周四晚上与新泽西州州长菲尔·墨菲共同举行的新闻发布会上说：“我当然希望这些对话能尽快恢复。如果他们今晚愿意会面，我随时可以；如果他们想明天早上见面，我也没问题。我认为这是一个非常实际的问题，关键在于他们是否真的想找到解决办法。”

墨菲强调，达成一项最终协议至关重要，该协议既能公平对待员工，又能保证新泽西州的通勤者和纳税人能够负担得起。

According to the union, the announcement came after 15 hours of continuous contract negotiations. Picket lines are expected to be established from 4 a.m. on Friday.

New Jersey Transit, the third-largest public transportation provider in the US, operates buses and trains throughout the state, facilitating approximately one million journeys each weekday, including crucial commuter routes into New York City. This strike has brought all New Jersey Transit commuter trains to a standstill, disrupting connections between New York Penn Station on the Hudson River's edge and northern New Jersey communities, as well as Newark Airport, which has recently experienced frequent delays due to unrelated issues.

The agency recently released its contingency plan, stating they would add bus services. However, they cautioned commuters that these buses would only provide "very limited" capacity for New York commuter routes near train stations and wouldn't be operational until Monday. The agency also plans to contract with private operators to provide bus services from key park-and-ride locations during weekday peak hours.

However, organisations have pointed out that the capacity of these buses is significantly lower than the current railway system, accommodating only around 20% of the usual rail passengers. Therefore, they are urging those who can work from home to do so during the strike.

The mere threat of a strike has already caused disruptions to transportation. Amidst this uncertainty, New Jersey Transit has cancelled train and bus services to MetLife Stadium for the Shakira concert on Thursday and Friday.

On Monday, all parties met in Washington with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service to discuss the issue; mediators were also present during Thursday's negotiations. According to Crowley on Thursday evening, the Mediation and Conciliation Service has suggested a meeting on Sunday morning to restart negotiations.

Salary disagreements have consistently been a major stumbling block in negotiations between the organization and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. The union is pushing for its members to receive pay on par with that offered by other passenger rail services in the region. Highlighting that its members currently earn an average annual salary of $113,000, the union suggests a deal could be reached if the organization's CEO, Chris Koluri, approves an increase to an average of $170,000 per year.

However, New Jersey Transit's management has questioned the union's figures, pointing out that engineers earn an average annual salary of $135,000, with top earners exceeding $200,000.

On Thursday evening, Corley and Murphy stated that the core issue wasn't simply reaching a consensus on pay increases. The real challenge lay in achieving a wage agreement without setting a precedent that would trigger similar demands from other unions, potentially creating an unsustainable financial burden for New Jersey Transit.

While Congress has the power to step in, halt strikes, and compel unions to accept agreements, lawmakers have not shown the same inclination as in 2022 to prevent a nationwide freight rail strike.

At the same time, the union at New Jersey Transit has seen a steady decline in membership, as more and more members leave to find better-paying jobs. The number of engineers at New Jersey Transit has fallen from 500 to around 450 in just a few months.