After several days of strike and halt of train services in New Jersey, the commuters will finally get some relief as the train services will resume on Tuesday after the transit workers and authorities have come to a temporary agreement after a long time of misery. Train engineers went on a statewide strike to get their demands fulfilled regarding higher pay. The group in New Jersey launched the state’s first full-scale transit strike in more than four decades early Friday morning, halting commuter rail service across the region after contract negotiations collapsed just after midnight.The strike, led by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), left many commuters stranded and scrambling for alternative and far more expensive transportation options, such as Uber and Amtrak, to reach New York City.On Sunday, both NJ Transit and the union announced that they had reached a tentative agreement, bringing the strike to an end. However, officials warned that full train service would not resume for at least 24 hours. The delay is needed to inspect and ready rail infrastructure, including tracks and train cars, before restoring regular schedules, the agency said.While the terms of the agreement were not disclosed, BLET said the proposal would be shared with its 450 affected members, including engineers and trainees, for review. Details will be made public once members have had the chance to consider the deal.The strike followed years of stalled negotiations between the union and NJ Transit, with engineers going without a raise for five years. During the strike, union members picketed outside stations, holding signs that criticized NJ Transit executives for enjoying luxury perks while engineer wages remained stagnant and below national standards.NJ Transit, in turn, argued that the union’s proposed wage increases would cost the agency and taxpayers millions of dollars.The tentative agreement marks a potential turning point in a labor dispute that had long simmered beneath the surface, now pushed into the spotlight by one of the most disruptive strikes in the region’s recent transit history.
