NJT July 2015 Strike?

Personally, not having a contract for four years hasn't bothered me, (I didn't notice it,) I get paid enough; and I am afraid we'll lose our pass privileges when we do get a contract.

Presidential emergency labor board appointed today for NJT negotiations:

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/20 ... cart_river

I understand that the unions are working without a contract, and that is an issue. But, what terms are they not coming to an agreement with? Is it pay, healthcare, benefits, hours, or all of the above and more?

If 100% of the engineers voted yes to a strike, it has to be a considerable issue. But I have not read anything more than the fact that they just don't have a contract, and nothing about why the contract can't be agreed upon.

Basically the proposed skin flint raises by NJT do not adjust to cost of living and after analysis by the BLET General committee the engineers will be making less money four years from now then they are netting today. The CN-IC district engineers are receiving 48 dollars an hour while NJT engineers make 32 dollars per hour. The carrier has been getting off cheap for many years and the engineers have had it. They are the lowest paid engineers in the NY metropolitan area and living in a state with the highest property taxes in the US. NJT is way overstaffed in administrative management like most Govt. Agencies and stonewalls cutting staff in line with standard US business practice 101.The line supervision is good as they do not harass the engineers like Norfolk Southern. Its the top people running the show that always take it out on the engineers at contract time proposing insultingly low raises and vindictively stretching the clock out. Waiting four plus years for a contract is ridiculous. When you work as hard as the NJT engineers do, giving the riders arguably the safest commuter railroad in the US, it is time to pony up the wages and take care of the people who take good care of that railroad......... Rant over !

"The CN-IC district engineers are receiving 48 dollars an hour." That's surprising. My guess that that they get overtime every day too. We ticket agents get $25.00 an hour.

Zeke wrote:Basically the proposed skin flint raises by NJT do not adjust to cost of living and after analysis by the BLET General committee the engineers will be making less money four years from now then they are netting today. The CN-IC district engineers are receiving 48 dollars an hour while NJT engineers make 32 dollars per hour. The carrier has been getting off cheap for many years and the engineers have had it. They are the lowest paid engineers in the NY metropolitan area and living in a state with the highest property taxes in the US. NJT is way overstaffed in administrative management like most Govt. Agencies and stonewalls cutting staff in line with standard US business practice 101.The line supervision is good as they do not harass the engineers like Norfolk Southern. Its the top people running the show that always take it out on the engineers at contract time proposing insultingly low raises and vindictively stretching the clock out. Waiting four plus years for a contract is ridiculous. When you work as hard as the NJT engineers do, giving the riders arguably the safest commuter railroad in the US, it is time to pony up the wages and take care of the people who take good care of that railroad......... Rant over !

Sadly, the money that could be spent on the things that matter are being spent elsewhere on things that, arguably, don't.

Thank you, all. Very helpful. Asbury Park Press posted a database of NJT employee salaries, and I have to say they were a lot lower than I would have guessed. And if it's true that NJT is getting a deal by screwing their engineers the prevailing wage, well that is just sad.

Hopefully a strike can be averted and both parties reach an acceptable deal. Two 120 day cooling off periods seem excessive, and too favourable to management.

time wrote: And if it's true that NJT is getting a deal by screwing their engineers the prevailing wage, well that is just sad.

Train crews on NJT make a lot because they put in long hours and get overtime for it.

We don't have labor contracts. That makes us non-agreement folk.

And let's not forget the working stiffs (non C-Suite) at 1 Penn Plaza haven't seen any kind of COLA in years either.

philipmartin wrote:

time wrote: And if it's true that NJT is getting a deal by screwing their engineers the prevailing wage, well that is just sad.

Train crews on NJT make a lot because they put in long hours and get overtime for it.

That is far from the truth....look at their counterparts at Amtrak, Metro-North and even Septa. They all make more then NJT train crews.

srock1028 wrote:
That is far from the truth....look at their counterparts at Amtrak, Metro-North and even Septa. They all make more then NJT train crews.

What do train and enginemen make on NJT, $100,000.00 a year? I make $55,000.00, (I'd make more if I took overtime, but I refuse it.)

Somebody said that eginemen on the IC-CNR make $48.00 an hour. I used to work with a guy at Hunter tower, who later went to the PATH as a conductor. He was retirement age, but said the money there was too good to walk away from.
I think that Amtrak crews used to make three round trips a week between NY and Washinton. Looking at Brandon Bostian's schedule, apparently they make a round trip every day now.
There are always people making more than we do. That doesn't necessarily mean that we are under paid. It might mean that they are over paid.

philipmartin wrote:

srock1028 wrote:
That is far from the truth....look at their counterparts at Amtrak, Metro-North and even Septa. They all make more then NJT train crews.

What do train and enginemen make on NJT, $100,000.00 a year? I make $55,000.00, (I'd make more if I took overtime, but I refuse it.)

Somebody said that eginemen on the IC-CNR make $48.00 an hour. I used to work with a guy at Hunter tower, who later went to the PATH as a conductor. He was retirement age, but said the money there was too good to walk away from.
I think that Amtrak crews used to make three round trips a week between NY and Washinton. Looking at Brandon Bostian's schedule, apparently they make a round trip every day now.
There are always people making more than we do. That doesn't necessarily mean that we are under paid. It might mean that they are over paid.

Just a word of caution- comparing what each of us earn compared to others is a slippery slope of a conversation. As moderator, I'm suggesting that we not go down this path.

Fact 1: There is always somebody who makes more than us.
Opinion 1: Each of us deserves the right to fight for more in the appropriate forum.

I do not believe this is the forum to discuss this pending issue. To do so risks disparaging an important workforce crucial to the operation of NJT. They deserve to fight for what they believe them due just as all of us do. Believe me, they face a fierce opposition.

by srock1028 » Tue Jul 28, 2015 2:16 pm
philipmartin wrote:
time wrote:
And if it's true that NJT is getting a deal by screwing their engineers the prevailing wage, well that is just sad.

Train crews on NJT make a lot because they put in long hours and get overtime for it.


That is far from the truth....look at their counterparts at Amtrak, Metro-North and even Septa. They all make more then NJT train crews.


A lot and mid and a few upper level managers have begun to filter into the ranks of MTA Metro North upper and mid-level management. I would say economics certainly plays a part in this. If the non-agreement are trying to leave in droves, I would say agreement unionized employees are probably feeling the pinch also.

The LIRR unions set the pattern for the tri-state area. The other half of MTA Metro North just got parity after what was agreed to by the LIRR unions after the two PEB's.

Just so you all know, it's not just the engineers. The whole railroad is working without contracts right now. If NJT still refuses to settle contracts after the PEB makes their recommendations most of the railroad is going to be ready to strike.