President Joe Biden has ordered an emergency board to review a labor dispute between NJ Transit and a union representing the agency’s locomotive engineers.
The panel is the second such board Biden has created to handle the dispute this year. The first version, which Biden created via executive order in July, temporarily averted a strike but wasn’t able to strike a deal between NJ Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.
Biden was only allowed to create the second emergency board when the first emergency board expired today after 120 days. The first board submitted its report to the president, but the parties did not accept the recommendations.
The Railway Labor Act of 1926 allows for the creation of presidential boards to mediate disputes between commuter rail operators and unions. This “second emergency board,” as it’s known, will select the “most reasonable offer” from either NJ Transit or the union. The side with the most reasonable offer will receive a benefits advantage should a work stoppage occur.
The union has been without a contract since 2019. The workers, among other things, are pushing for a salary increase. They say their salaries are among the lowest of any commuter engineer group in the country, according to NJ.com.
Serving on the panel are Ira F. Jaffe, Sidney Moreland, and Thomas Pontolillo, all professional arbitrators. The board will have 30 days to receive final settlement offers from each of the parties, then 30 days to select the most reasonable offer.
If the board selects NJ Transit’s offer, workers will not be eligible for Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act benefits during a work stoppage. If the board selects the union’s offer, NJ Transit would not be eligible for work-stoppage-related benefits should a strike occur.