BLE Focus

New Jersey Transit

New Jersey Transit, an agency of the state of New Jersey, ranks just behind LIRR and Metro North as the third largest provider of commuter services in the U.S.

Created by the Public Transportation Act of 1979, New Jersey Transit was established to "acquire, operate and contract for transportation service in the public interest."

On Jan. 1, 1983, New Jersey Transit Rail Operations, Inc. was launched to assume operation of commuter rail in the state after Congress permitted the Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) to cease its passenger operation, then under contract to New Jersey Transit.

Covering a service area of 5,325 square miles, New Jersey Transit links major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia. New Jersey Transit operates the state's commuter rail network with 591 daily trains serving 161 stations in 137 communities statewide.

The agency's 591 daily revenue trains travel 1.1 billion miles per year on 542 miles of track. There are 695 rail cars and 104 locomotives in service.

New Jersey Transit and the BLE

There are roughly 350 BLE members working on New Jersey Transit and General Chairman Bob Vallochi is expecting that number to increase dramatically in the next year and a half because of service expansions on the railroad.

The BLE has been the bargaining representative for engineers on New Jersey Transit since the railroad's inception in 1983. The BLE started out with 230 engineers and has worked hard to increase that number over the years.

While the relationships between some of the passenger railroads and the BLE members who work for them are contentious, the relationship between New Jersey Transit and the BLE is generally good, according to Vallochi.

"In general, the relationship between the BLE and Transit is one of respect for our organization. Transit knows that we are a proud and professional organization that will stand up for it's members no matter what the penalty," said Vallochi.

"At this moment, our relationship is between contentious and good. However, we have worked without a contract more than with one since the creation of Transit. Under those conditions, we were at each other so much that it was like a constant state of war."

There have been no strikes against New Jersey Transit under this particular General Committee. However, there have been threats of wildcat strikes and the BLE has asked the NMB to release the organization from negotiations so that a legal strike could be carried out.

"We have threatened to wildcat strike because of the unfairness of the NMB in not releasing us to strike under the Railway Labor Act. We wanted to be released for self help," said Vallochi. "This would have leveled the playing field. When Transit is forced into a situation where they have to deal, they are more realistic in dealing with us."

Vallochi believes that the very nature of New Jersey Transit has some inherent advantages and disadvantages for the BLE in negotiations and bargaining.

"I have found that when you deal with an agency such as Transit you must remember that you are really dealing with the State of New Jersey. This is a big advantage to Transit, but you can use this to your advantage in knowing that you can make them yield to public pressure and the politicians," said Vallochi. "They hate bad press.

"This is their underbelly. That is the strategy we used to get our last contract," he said.

Rumors of a possible work stoppage due to "Y2K" security concerns during the 1999 New Years Eve holiday were widely circulated by the newspapers and television stations in the area. The heat placed on New Jersey Transit management helped the engineers obtain the results they wanted.

"The politicians got involved and we got a contract," Vallochi said.

While the upcoming service expansion makes New Jersey Transit a bigger force in the passenger rail marketplace, it also helps the BLE expand and gain greater leverage over the railroad.

Continued on Page 9

Back to Fall 2001 Journal

© 2001 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers