Contract talks break down between NJ Transit, labor unions

The latest round of talks between NJ Transit and its labor unions has broken down, signaling increased tensions between the two sides over pay and benefits. Union members have been working without a new contract for four years, union leaders said.

The next step in the process requires intervention from President Obama, who must create a three-member Presidential Emergency Board to keep the sides negotiating and prevent a strike or labor lockout that could cripple the region’s economy. Nearly 955,000 people ride NJ Transit buses, trains and light rail every workday.

NJ Transit and its unions started negotiating through the National Mediation Board in 2011, soon after the old contract expired. As the process dragged on, more unions joined in, eventually creating a coalition that includes all 17 of NJ Transit’s unions, together representing 4,263 workers, said Thomas Roth, a labor consultant hired to represent the unions in the next round of negotiations. The final union, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, joined the coalition last week, Roth said.

“To have all the unions that represent all the workers on the property, it’s very rare,” said Roth, who has been involved in labor disputes for 40 years. “In fact this is the first time we’ve ever had a coalition like this.”

After years of negotiation went nowhere, the unions asked the National Mediation Board to release them from talks. On Monday the board agreed, an indication that the sides are so far apart on subjects including salary increases, benefits and work rules that an agreement now is impossible.

“In the few instances where it’s obvious the two sides are so far apart they’ll never agree, the National Mediation Board can conclude it can’t do anything and release them from negotiation,” Frank N. Wilner, who covers railroad labor relations for Railway Age magazine.

To prevent the unions from going on strike or NJ Transit management from locking workers out, either the board or Governor Christie can recommend to the White House that it create a three-member Presidential Emergency Board to hear the dispute, Wilner said. The board will have 120 days to try and reach an agreement. If that doesn’t work, the President can empanel a second emergency board, which has another 120 days. If the two sides still don’t agree, Congress may step in and impose a new contract, usually based upon a blueprint suggested by the second emergency board, Wilner said.

Email: maag@northjersey.com

Source: North Jersey