NJ Transit Strike Looms: 350,000 Commuters Face Travel Chaos

New Jersey faces a potential transit strike on May 16th, impacting hundreds of thousands of commuters. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) is threatening to walk out if contract negotiations with New Jersey Transit (NJT) fail to reach an agreement on salary increases. The union is demanding an average annual salary of $170,000, while NJT argues that the current average is already $135,000. "Time is really running out for New Jersey Transit," stated Gio Benitez, ABC News Transportation Correspondent, in a live report from Newark. A strike would halt all NJ Transit commuter trains, significantly impacting commuters and causing widespread disruption. The state is preparing contingency plans, including adding more buses, to mitigate the impact of a potential work stoppage. This potential strike is especially significant, as it would be the first in over four decades, highlighting the seriousness of the ongoing labor dispute. The negotiations are expected to resume later today.