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The basics:

• NJ Transit, BLET must reach an agreement by May 15 to avoid a strike
• NJ Transit cancels service to Shakira concerts due to strike risk
• Port Authority issues guidance for riders at key stations

The clock is ticking for NJ Transit and the engineer’s union, Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, to strike a deal.

As NJBIZ has reported, the contract negotiations remain at a stalemate following the union’s rank-and-file last month rejecting a tentative contract agreement. That started a 30-day clock to reach a new agreement by May 15. If those talks fail, a work stoppage (strike or lockout) could take place as soon as 12:01 a.m. May 16.

NJ Transit released a contingency plan if rail service does stop Friday – and announced May 12 that because of the potential work stoppage, it will not operate train or bus service to MetLife Stadium for the upcoming Shakira concerts May 15 and 16.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey released its own guidance for travelers on how to do navigate the potential disruption, including assembling customer ambassadors to assist riders at Newark-Penn Station, Harrison, Hoboken, 33 St. and World Trade Center stations.

As the deadline nears, the rhetoric has ratcheted up as both sides exchanged barbs during press conferences last week.

The two sides met in Washington, D.C., Monday at the request of the National Mediation Board.

“We want to thank the National Mediation Board for convening today’s meeting. We found the discussion to be constructive and look forward to continuing negotiations in good faith,” said NJ Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri. “To respect the collective bargaining process, we will not be sharing any additional details publicly at this time.”

Different dynamics

The BLET did not release any public statements about the meeting with the NMB.

The union released a commercial this week running on cable in New Jersey. The spot outlines BLET’s position on locomotive engineer wages for its members. NJ Transit previously released its own one-sheet about the negotiation.

Bill Dwyer, a negotiation expert in the School of Management and Labor Relations for Rutgers University, said that the depth of public disagreement in this case is not typical.

“In many contract talks, the parties establish and honor a ground rule to refrain from negotiating through the press or in public,” said Dwyer in an interview with Rutgers Today when asked whether these tensions and public criticisms are out of the ordinary for a contract negotiation. “But the dynamics here are different. Both sides are providing information to the press that puts them in a good light and their counterpart out to be the bad guys.

“That is never helpful,” he continued. “This is about as arduous as it gets in the world of labor relations.”

Dwyer was asked whether more pressure was on the union’s leaders since its members overwhelmingly rejected the first contract agreement.

“It puts equal pressure on both sides to resolve the matter,” said Dwyer.

NJBIZ will have the very latest on this developing situation.