New Jersey Transit Faces Unprecedented Strike: Commuters Brace for Impact

New Jersey Transit train engineers are set to go on strike early Friday, compelling approximately 350,000 commuters in New Jersey and New York City to find alternative means of transportation or stay home.

The strike follows unsuccessful negotiations on Thursday, marking the first transit strike in over 40 years. This comes after union members overwhelmingly rejected a labor agreement with management.

In a late Thursday news conference, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy stressed the importance of striking a balance between fair employee deals and affordability for commuters and taxpayers.

NJ Transit, the nation's third-largest transit system, provides almost a million weekday trips, including connections to New York City. The walkout will halt all commuter trains running between major transit hubs.

The agency has announced contingency plans, which include increasing bus services. However, buses will only provide limited capacity, accommodating about 20% of rail customers.

The threat of a strike is already causing disruptions, including service cancellations for Shakira concerts at MetLife Stadium.

Negotiations with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen have stalled mainly over wages. The union requests an average yearly salary of $170,000, while NJ Transit claims engineers currently earn $135,000 annually.

(With inputs from agencies.)