Amtrak Strike Averted

NJ Transit, LIRR, and Metro North commuters can breath a sigh of relief and it's good news for hundreds of thousands of commuters around the nation who would have been adversely affected by an Amtrak strike that would have begun January 30. The union and the railroad have apparently come to terms on a new contract.

People familiar with the agreement, speaking on condition of anonymity because it had not been formally announced, said the labor agreement adopts the recommendations of a presidential emergency board report issued Dec. 30.

A public signing ceremony for the deal was tentatively scheduled for Friday morning.

Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black said Friday morning that he did not have any information to release.

The unions had been negotiating with the railroad over a new contract since the terms of the last one ended in 1999. The PEB had recommended that wage increases be made retroactive and under the Railway Labor Act, most disputes are usually resolved with a contract based on the emergency board's report.

It isn't entirely clear how Amtrak will actually pay for the retroactive wage increases, and I'm sure that details will have to be worked out.

NJ Transit To Commuters: You're Screwed If Amtrak Strikes

NJ Transit simply doesn't have the capacity to handle the rush hour commute if Amtrak goes on strike January 30. They've pretty much admitted that their preparations for the strike involve nothing more than wishful thinking and prayers, because they can't do anything if Amtrak goes on strike - shuttering the Northeast Corridor and related facilities.

"A strike of any duration that shuts down the Northeast Corridor will cause severe disruption to our service and inconvenience to tens of thousands of commuters in New Jersey, as more than half of our 740 daily trains rely on the Northeast Corridor for all or part of their trips," Sarles said during the transit agency's monthly board meeting today in Atlantic City.



Amtrak operates the Northeast Corridor, and about 10,000 Amtrak employees from nine separate unions have been working without a contract since the beginning 2000. They have set a strike deadline of Jan 30, 12:01 a.m.

Four NJ Transits lines run on Amtrak tracks: Northeast Corridor, Raritan Valley, North Jersey Coast and Atlantic City.

NJ Transit officials remain optimistic a strike can be avoided. But they urged riders to consider arrangements to carpool or telecommute. They are working on contingency plans of their own, which would include directing Midtown Direct trains through Hoboken and running shuttle buses from rail stops to PATH stations in Newark, Hoboken and Harrison.

Nevertheless, an Amtrak strike would hobble local service, leaving NJ Transit able to handle just 40 percent of riders during peak hours, officials said.

Threatened Amtrak Strike Could Cripple NYC Area Mass Transit

mtrak workers are threatening to strike. The railroad and its unions are struggling to reach new labor agreements. Workers could walk off the job at the end of January.

If that happens, rail lines across the country could be crippled, and Penn Station in Manhattan would be forced to close.

Rush hour commuters were beside themselves Friday when CBS 2 HD gave them word of the breaking news out of Washington that could paralyze rail traffic, and close Penn Station, which is used by half a million Long Island Rail Road, NJ Transit and Amtrak passengers each day.

On top of shutting down Amtrak service all over the country, it would mean that Amtrak facilities, including Penn Station in New York City would be shuttered.

Penn Station is used jointly by Amtrak, NJ Transit, and the LIRR. It would mean chaos for millions who rely on mass transit to get to work, and cause serious delays for everyone else as people attempt to drive into Manhattan to avoid the circus on mass transit. The LIRR is working on contingency plans to deal with the massive headaches should the strike happen. So far, NJ Transit has not released its plans (if it has them).

New York has the Taylor Law that prevents public workers from striking as a matter of public interest and safety, but that applies only to state workers. Amtrak workers would not be bound by the Taylor Law.

Amtrak might have to pay $62 million in back wages and drop some work requirements if they listen to the nonbinding panel set up by President Bush.