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njtransit2We are pleased to announce that SMART TD members on New Jersey Transit have ratified a new collective bargaining agreement.

Steve Burkert, SMART TD general chairperson; and Doyle Turner, SMART TD vice president; led the fight for a fair and equitable agreement while withstanding the unreasonable demands of NJT. After two Presidential Emergency Boards and numerous negotiating sessions, the SMART TD negotiating team reached an agreement that was overwhelmingly ratified by our members on NJT.

SMART TD President John Previsich said: “I want to commend General Chairperson Steve Burkert, SMART TD Vice President Doyle Turner, Alternate Vice President Anthony Simon and all of the members of the negotiating team for their efforts in bringing this round of negotiations to a satisfactory conclusion. The negotiating team, led by GC Burkert, was instrumental in carrying the wishes of our NJT members to the negotiating table and it is through their efforts that we were able to reach an agreement that was ratified by an overwhelming majority vote. It’s been a long battle for the New Jersey Transit members and now they will receive the wages and benefits to which they are entitled. This is a tremendous victory for NJT SMART TD members, and for our union brothers and sisters across the country.”

General Chairperson Burkert said: “It’s been a long, drawn-out process and I’m thrilled for my members and their families that we were successful in reaching an agreement that provides for financial stability going forward, especially during this very tough political time. I want to express my appreciation to the entire membership for their solidarity and support through this very difficult round of negotiations.”

National Legislative Director John Risch, New Jersey State Legislative Director Daniel O’Connell, LIRR General Chairperson Anthony Simon and many others speak out in support of labor at Saturday’s labor rally. The rally comes ahead of a possible March 13 strike and/or lockout at New Jersey Transit.

CBS New York reported that hundreds gathered over the weekend to show their support for union workers.  Read the complete story here.

Worker RallySMART Transportation Division is calling on all members of the SMART union, and all union Brothers and Sisters, to participate in a rally in support of New Jersey transit workers. The rally will take place tomorrow, March 5, at 10 am at the Marion & Norman Tanzman Recreational Area, 405 Pearl Street, Woodbridge, NJ 07095. For more details on the rally, access the event flyer, here.

   

NJ TransitIn the hopes of avoiding a strike that could plunge the northeast corridor into a state of economic chaos, DC officials are calling for a mandatory meeting to find resolution before that happens. Read the entire story here on NorthJersey.com.        

NJ TransitIn an article published by the Asbury Park Press, SMART TD General Chairperson (GCA 610) Steve Burkert said that he is still hopeful that a deal will be struck between New Jersey Transit (NJT) and the Rail Labor Coalition. NJT and the Rail Labor Coalition have already had two Presidential Emergency Boards (PEB) assigned by President Obama to work out an agreement. Both PEBs’ findings supported the Rail Labor Coalition’s stance. However, since the PEBs’ recommendations are non-binding, NJT has been dragging its feet in adopting the PEBs’ recommendations to provide a workable contract. The Rail Labor Coalition, which represents 17 unions, including SMART, and 4,200 union members has authorized a strike on March 13, if a deal can not be reached. NJT has also threatened a lockout on the same date. Click here to read the full story.

NJ TransitFebruary 3, 2016 – Talks between the eleven unions in the NJT Rail Labor Coalition and negotiators from New Jersey Transit continued today, but no agreement was reached. Both sides pledged to continue negotiating.

Today’s talks were the first since Presidential Emergency Board 249 selected the unions’ final offer as the “most reasonable”.

Under Section 9a of the Railway Labor Act, which is the law covering NJT commuter rail workers, the cooling off period expires 12:01 am on March 13. If no deal is reached by then, the unions can strike and/or NJT can lock its workers out. A strike or lockout can only be ended by the parties agreeing to a settlement, or Congress passing a law to end the dispute, which both sides believe would be highly unlikely.

The unions adopted the impartial recommendations of President Emergency Board 248 as our final offer. The recommendations call for a contract averaging 2.5 percent a year coupled with significant increases in employee health care contributions. NJT’s offer is for 0.6 percent net wage increases per year. The two Presidential Boards consisted of six experienced and expert arbitrators appointed by President Obama.

Coalition spokesmen said, “The last thing we want is a strike. We have gone five years without a contract. Our settlement proposal is modest and fair. All we are asking is what has been recommended by two expert neutral panels. Congress changed the Railway Labor Act to try to prevent commuter work stoppages by having a second PEB recommend the most reasonable offer, with penalties imposed on the side that doesn’t accept the recommendation. That has almost always led to a settlement. Yet now NJT refuses. We call upon NJT to end this dispute without disruption to the riding public.”

The Coalition includes every rail union on NJT, representing more than 4,000 commuter workers.

For further information, contact:

  • Steve Burkert, General Chairperson SMART Transportation Division, (973) 527-7018
  • Dave Decker, General Chairman BLET, (973) 497-2497
  • Mick Barrett, General Chairman BMWE-D, (215) 245-2236
  • Anthony Stevens, Division Chairman TCU/IAM, (908) 220-6736

Click here to view the official press release from the New Jersey Transit Rail Labor Coalition.

 

whitehouselogoAfter nearly five years of bargaining, Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) 249, formed in November, 2015 to resolve the contract dispute between the Rail Labor Coalition (Coalition) and New Jersey’s mammoth commuter carrier, New Jersey Transit (NJT), sided with unionized workers in recommending the main points of the Coalition’s proposal, including retroactive wage payments and an 18 percent increase in pay, compounded, over a six-year period.

In addition to recommending the wage increases, the PEB soundly rejected the NJT’s proposal of a 10 percent increase in health care premiums, and recommended an increase of 2.5 percent, which is closely aligned with the Coalition’s proposed 2.0 percent premium increase.

The three-member, neutral panel was chosen by President Obama, based on their experience and expertise. PEB 249 is the second on the property and was appointed after NJT rejected the recommendations of PEB 248. In the report that PEB 249 released on Tuesday, January 12, they presented a detailed review of PEB 248’s conclusions, which was the final offer submitted by the Coalition.

The PEB found most main points of the Coalition’s proposal to be more convincing, rational and reasonable than the NJT position.

The Rail Labor Coalition is comprised of more than 15 international unions and more than 4,300 unionized transit rail members, including more than 1,200 SMART Transportation Division union members.  

John Previsich, President of SMART Transportation Division, said that the report, “sends the message that our collective voice is heard.”

“The recommendation by PEB 249 is a victory for members of the Rail Labor Coalition, and for union members everywhere.  We will continue to fight for fair wages, safe work environments and quality, affordable healthcare for all of our Brothers and Sisters.”

Previsich also stated that the report follows the pattern of settlements that have occurred on similar properties and is a fair and equitable resolution of the issues.

“It’s time for New Jersey Transit to accept the recommendations of PEB 249, which are in line with every other commuter railroad settlement in the area. 

“Members of Rail Labor Coalition are skilled, highly trained and experienced workers. We’re hoping that NJT will do right by their workers and the community by moving beyond this lengthy dispute and accept the PEB’s report,” Previsich added.

If an agreement is not reached, any participant may invoke self-help as early as March 13, 2016, leaving 295,000 commuters without the public transportation they depend on.

To read the full report of PEB 249, click here.

whitehouselogoPresidential Emergency Board 248 has issued its recommendations to settle the four year contract dispute between New Jersey Transit and the Rail Labor Coalition of fourteen unions representing 4,300 union workers.

The recommendations on the major issues of wages and health insurance contributions fall much closer to the terms proposed by the Coalition than those proposed by New Jersey Transit, although the Board did backload its wage recommendations to accommodate the railroad’s budgetary concerns.

The PEB found that the Coalition proposals were appropriately based on settlements in the commuter industry, while the company’s unprecedented reliance on a state worker concessionary contract was not persuasive.

Coalition spokespersons said, “The Presidential Emergency Board, composed of three veteran, distinguished neutrals, has proposed terms that represent a reasonable compromise approach to settlement. We sincerely hope that New Jersey Transit will now take this opportunity to bring this protracted dispute to an end.”

The board’s recommendations are non-binding and the parties now have 120 days to reach agreement based on the recommendations.

Summary of PEB 248’s Recommendations

The Board recommended wage increases totaling 18.4 percent in compounded wage increases over 6.5 year or 2.6 percent per year. When increases for health insurance factored in, the recommendations totaled 17.7 percent over the term or 2.5 percent a year.

“Over the years wage settlements at NJT have closely followed the general trend of wage changes at the other large commuter railroads in the region, including LIRR, Metro-North, SEPTA and MBTA. …The Board’s recommendations are consistent with the average annual uncompounded wage increases at the four other large commuter rail carriers. The average annual wage increases of all four of these commuter railroads is 2.6 percent, the same nominal wage rate increase recommended by the Board.”

Although the board recommended an increase in health insurance contributions and an increase in co-payments, the PEB rejected NJT’s proposal for a new inferior insurance plan and their proposal to make employees responsible for 50 percent of excise taxes incurred as a result of the Affordable Care Act.

“The Carrier’s proposal falls outside the current health insurance contribution trends in the industry. Our recommendation would move the employees’ contributions from 1.8 percent to 2.5 percent, which we do not consider an unwarranted increase.”

The PEB rejected NJT’s proposal to eliminate employee ridership passes. The Board also rejected NJT’s proposal to reduce contributions to new hire 401 (a) contributions and also recommended provisions for conductor certification pay.

What Happens Next

The Coalition and NJT have until November 12 to negotiate a voluntary agreement. If no agreement is reached by that time, either side or the Governor can invoke a second Presidential Emergency Board. That PEB will select the most reasonable final offer. Its recommendation again will be non-binding. The parties will then have until March 11, 2016, to reach a voluntary agreement. If no agreement is reached, self-help would then be possible.

The Coalition believes PEB 248’s recommendations provide a fair compromise and the basis of a voluntary agreement. New Jersey Transit is still evaluating the recommendations and deciding on its next steps. No negotiations have yet been scheduled.

Click here to read PEB 248’s report.