New Jersey Transit Strike: Negotiations Resume a Day Earlier Than Anticipated

New Jersey Transit executives and the union representing its practice drivers adjourned negotiations with out reaching a deal on Saturday, the second full day of the state’s first transit strike in 40 years, a spokesman for the transit company confirmed.

Kris Kolluri, the company’s chief government, entered talks with representatives from the placing union, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, at round 1 p.m. on Saturday, a day sooner than deliberate, the company mentioned. The 2 sides adjourned with out an settlement a number of hours later. They plan to begin up talks once more on Sunday.

“As we speak’s discussions continued to be constructive,” Mr. Kolluri mentioned in an announcement on Saturday afternoon. “We’ve mutually agreed to adjourn formal discussions for the day however will proceed speaking and stay up for resuming discussions tomorrow.”

Plans for the Saturday assembly got here collectively on Friday night time, after the union’s nationwide president requested additional negotiations. Sunday’s speak, which had already been scheduled, will embody the Nationwide Mediation Board, the federal company that coordinates labor relations within the railroad and airline industries.

Earlier on Saturday, throughout a information convention on the Broad Avenue station in Newark, Mr. Kolluri mentioned the company would meet with the union by way of the weekend in hopes of reaching a deal. “We’re going to satisfy the union right now, we’re going to satisfy them tomorrow, all with this aim of attending to a deal so we are able to get them again to work, get our clients the dependable service they want,” he mentioned.

A spokesman for the union mentioned it was glad to return to the bargaining desk. The union had been pushing for talks to renew earlier than the deliberate Sunday assembly and had made a number of efforts to restart them because the strike started, he mentioned.