Representatives from the BLET met with New Jersey Transit (NJT) executives, including new CEO Kris Kolluri, on January 30 in an effort to reach a voluntary resolution to the lengthy contract dispute. BLET Vice President Jim Louis, who heads the union’s Passenger Rail Department, characterized the meeting as “a step in the right direction.”
After a management shakeup at NJT, in which its CEO stepped down and other managers were removed, this month BLET National President Eddie Hall expressed a willingness to meet with Kolluri. A few days later, Kolluri in a news conference said he wanted to sit down directly with the union. “Let’s do it tomorrow. Let’s do it today. I’ll work all night,” Kolluri told reporters.
BLET and NJ Transit are now in a 60-day “cooling off period” under the Railway Labor Act, with a deadline of March 22 to settle the dispute. If a settlement is not reached by that date, either party could engage in self-help, unless blocked by President Trump. For more details, watch this segment from Fox 5 New York, which includes an interview with BLET General Chairman Tom Haas.
NJT photo: John Regan