A walkout by New Jersey Transit train engineers on Friday disrupted the commutes of approximately 350,000 individuals in New Jersey and New York City, forcing them to find alternative transportation or contemplate remaining at home.

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

"Tom Haas, general chairman of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, stated that their latest proposal was rebuffed, leading to an abrupt departure despite two hours remaining in the negotiation period."

NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri characterised the impasse as a "hiatus in discussions."

He affirmed his eagerness to resume discussions at the earliest opportunity, stating during a joint press conference with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on Thursday, "Should they be amenable to convening this evening, I shall readily reconvene. Similarly, were they to prefer a meeting tomorrow morning, I would be available. I firmly believe this issue is eminently resolvable; the pertinent question is whether they possess the requisite resolve to reach a consensus."

Murphy emphasized the necessity of achieving a conclusive agreement that equitably serves the interests of employees while remaining fiscally sustainable for New Jersey's commuters and taxpayers.

The union stated that the announcement followed 15 hours of continuous contract negotiations, and picket lines are anticipated to form at 4 a.m. Friday.

NJ Transit, the country's third largest public transportation provider, delivers approximately one million journeys each weekday via its bus and rail networks, including services into New York City; the strike action has brought all NJ Transit commuter rail services to a standstill, disrupting crucial transit links between New York City's Penn Station and northern New Jersey communities, as well as impacting Newark Airport, which has recently experienced its own separate disruptions.

In anticipation of potential disruptions, the agency had recently unveiled contingency measures, outlining intentions to augment bus services; however, commuters were cautioned that these additions would only marginally increase capacity on existing New York bus routes near railway stations and would not be operational until Monday, alongside arrangements for private operators to provide bus services from significant park-and-ride facilities during peak weekday hours.

Nonetheless, the agency stipulated that bus capacity would be significantly reduced, accommodating approximately 20% of the rail system's current ridership; consequently, telecommuting was strongly encouraged for those able to do so in the event of a labour action.

The mere anticipation of the impending disruption had already wrought havoc on travel plans, with the transit authority preemptively suspending train and bus services for the Shakira concerts scheduled at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Thursday and Friday, amidst widespread apprehension.

Negotiations, mediated by a federal board in Washington, initially convened on Monday and continued on Thursday; following these discussions, the mediation board proposed a further meeting on Sunday morning to facilitate continued dialogue, according to Kolluri's statement on Thursday evening.

The principal impediment to reaching a consensus in negotiations between the agency and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen has been wages, with the union advocating for remuneration parity with comparable passenger railroads in the region; while the union reports an average annual salary of $113,000 for its members, they suggest that an accord could be achieved were agency CEO Kris Kolluri to approve an average yearly compensation of $170,000.

NJ Transit's management, however, contests the union's figures, asserting that their engineers' average total compensation reaches $135,000 per year, with top earners drawing salaries in excess of $200,000.

Kolluri and Murphy asserted on Thursday night that the core impediment isn't simply reaching a consensus on wage increases, but rather, achieving an agreement with terms that wouldn't precipitate analogous demands from other unions, thereby jeopardizing NJ Transit's financial viability.

While Congress retains the prerogative to preemptively halt the strike and compel union acquiescence to a settlement, legislators have thus far demonstrated a disinclination to exercise this authority, in contrast to their intervention in 2022 to avert a nationwide freight railroad strike.

The union at NJ Transit has experienced a consistent decline in membership as individuals increasingly defect to competing railroads offering more lucrative compensation packages; consequently, the number of engineers has dwindled from approximately 500 several months prior to around 450 currently.