White House approves formation of board to mediate labor disagreement between New Jersey Transit and engineers

New Jersey Transit and a union representing its rail engineers have been given an extended timeframe to resolve a labor dispute following President Joe Biden’s signing of an executive order. The order establishes a Presidential Emergency Board to assist in negotiations between the state’s transit agency and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. This initiative, mandated by law due to a request from one of the parties involved, aims to prevent a potential strike at this time.
The Presidential Emergency Board has a two-month period to receive settlement dispute offers from both sides and will then present a recommendation to the president based on the most reasonable offer. While the report is not binding, the party whose offer is not chosen would be legally restricted from certain benefits in the event of a strike, according to the White House statement. New Jersey Transit, responsible for bus and rail operations in the state, has been dealing with this labor disagreement since the expiration of the engineers’ contract in 2019.
In response to the executive order, NJ Transit stated via email that any potential strike would not happen until March 2025. A request for input from the union has been made but remains unanswered at this time.