NJ TRANSIT Commuters Gearing Up For Potential Strike
RAMSEY, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- NJ TRANSIT commuters are preparing for the worst if a strike happens next month.
Commuters tell 1010 WINS' Glenn Schuck that nerves about a possible walkout are starting to set in.
"Just like anything else, you just have to get to the table and hash it out, working around the clock and avoid those last-minute negotiations that keep everybody biting their fingernails to the morning of," one person told 1010 WINS.
Another commuter was concerned about the bus capacity.
"The bus doesn't run as efficiently," he said. "It could get crowded and it definitely could affect people."
At NJ TRANSIT's board meeting earlier this month, the head of the union that represents conductors said more than a dozen unions affected by the contract negotiations have authorized a strike if necessary.
The conductors' union head says health insurance increases in NJ TRANSIT's offer would almost totally negate a proposed wage increase.
The deadline for a possible walkout is March 13.
Interim NJ TRANSIT executive director Dennis Martin didn't comment on specific proposals. He said the parties have a meeting scheduled but didn't give a date.
"We remain focused on reaching an affordable settlement with our rail unions," Martin said in a statement.
NJ TRANSIT is working on developing "a robust alternative service plan " in the event of a strike, Martin said.
The union has been working without a contract since 2011.
NJ TRANSIT's last strike was in 1983.
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