WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has formed a second Presidential Emergency Board to address the dispute between NJ Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.
The three members of the board were announced by the White House on Nov. 21. The board now has 60 days to produce a report selecting the offer it considers most reasonable; its selection prevents any work stoppage for 120 days.
The first board was named in July [see”Presidential Emergency Board named …,” Trains News Wire, July 25, 2024]. It sided with NJ Transit’s argument that the BLET should receive the same raises accepted by the transit agency’s other 14 rail unions, which amount to 12%, uncompounded, over a 4½-year term, and recommended three years of additional 3% raises, as well as two lump-sum payments of $1,500 each. That would make a 21% increase over 7½ years. The union, which says it is the lowest-paid among commuter rail engineers in the country, sought a 15.36% “wage equity adjustment” on top of the NJ Transit offer, as well as three years of 3% raises, for a total increase of 36.36% over 7½ years [see “Presidential Emergency Board recommends …,” News Wire, Sept. 5, 2024].
NJ Transit’s engineers have been working without a contract since 2019 and authorized a strike in 2023 [see “NJ Transit engineers vote to strike,” News Wire, Sept. 1, 2023]. But the two sides must complete the lengthy process outlined under the Railway Labor Act before any work stoppage is possible.
