A strike by New Jersey Transit train engineers commenced Friday, forcing approximately 350,000 commuters in New Jersey and New York City to find alternative transportation or contemplate remaining at home.

The walkout was triggered by the breakdown of Thursday's negotiations and represents the first transit strike in the state for over four decades, following union members' decisive rejection of a labor agreement with management last month.

"Tom Haas, general chairman of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, stated that after they presented their final proposal, it was summarily rejected, and the opposing party abandoned negotiations with two hours remaining before the deadline."

NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri characterized the current impasse as a "hiatus in dialogue."

He affirmed his eagerness to resume these discussions at the earliest opportunity, stating during a joint press conference with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy late Thursday, "Should they be amenable to convening this evening, I am available to reconvene. If they prefer to meet tomorrow morning, I shall readily participate. I believe this issue is eminently resolvable; the pertinent question is whether they possess the requisite resolve to reach a mutually agreeable solution."

Murphy underscored the necessity of achieving a definitive agreement that not only provides equitable terms for employees but also remains financially sustainable for New Jersey's commuters and taxpayers.

Following fifteen hours of continuous contract negotiations, the union reported that an announcement would be made, with picket lines anticipated to form from 4 a.m. Friday.

NJ Transit, the country's third-largest transit network, runs bus and rail services throughout New Jersey, facilitating almost a million journeys each weekday, many destined for New York City; this strike action has brought all NJ Transit commuter rail lines to a standstill, disrupting crucial transit corridors connecting New York City's Penn Station to northern New Jersey and Newark Airport, the latter already struggling with its own separate disruptions.

In anticipation of potential disruptions, the agency had recently outlined contingency measures, including augmenting bus services; however, commuters were cautioned that this would only marginally increase capacity on existing routes near rail stations, with implementation delayed until Monday, and the agency is also procuring supplementary bus services from private operators to serve key regional park-and-ride facilities during peak weekday hours.

Nevertheless, the agency cautioned that bus capacity would be significantly reduced, accommodating only approximately 20% of the railway's current ridership; consequently, telecommuting was strongly encouraged for those able to do so in the event of a strike.

The mere anticipation of the event had already precipitated widespread travel disruptions, with the transit authority preemptively suspending train and bus services for the Shakira concerts scheduled for Thursday and Friday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, amidst the prevailing climate of uncertainty.

Negotiations, facilitated by a federal mediation board in Washington, initially convened on Monday, with a mediator also present during Thursday's discussions; Kolluri indicated late Thursday that the board has proposed reconvening talks Sunday morning.

The protracted negotiations between the agency and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have foundered primarily on the issue of wages, with the union striving to secure parity for its members with compensation packages offered by comparable passenger railroads in the region; while the union, representing workers currently earning an average of $113,000 annually, maintains that a resolution hinges on agency CEO Kris Kolluri's approval of a substantial increase to an average yearly salary of $170,000.

Conversely, NJ Transit's management refutes the union's figures, asserting that their engineers' average annual compensation totals $135,000, with top earners surpassing $200,000.

Kolluri and Murphy asserted Thursday night that the crux of the issue isn't merely reaching a consensus on a wage increase, but rather securing an agreement with terms that wouldn't precipitate demands for analogous increases from other unions, thereby jeopardizing NJ Transit's financial viability.

While Congress retains the prerogative to intervene and preempt the strike by compelling the union to accept a settlement, legislators have demonstrated a reluctance to exercise this power, diverging from their intervention in 2022 to avert a nationwide freight railroad strike.

The union at NJ Transit has experienced a consistent decline in membership, largely due to attrition as members seek more lucrative opportunities with competing railroad companies; this exodus has reduced the number of NJ Transit engineers from approximately 500 several months prior to roughly 450 currently.