N.J. Transit, Unions Reach Deal To Avoid Strike

New Jersey Transit and the Coalition of Unions have reached a deal Friday night to avert a strike, set to begin Sunday at 12:01 a.m., that would have impacted more than 100,000 customers.

The two sides had been undergoing heated negotiations over the past week in Newark, and while talks were deemed "productive and positive" by the organization after Tuesday's discussions, the union seemed angered Thursday.

That's because a letter was distributed by New Jersey Transit officials - as required by Federal Law - informing the more than 4,000 union employees their pay, benefits, and other contractually agreed items would be suspended if a strike occurred.

Details of the new contract, the first since 2011, had not been made immediately available Friday night.

A strike would have essentially been catastrophic, knocking out the ability to ride the rails or use major bus routes through New Jersey Transit. The organization projected some 10,000 more cars per hour would be forced to hit the roads during peak travel times, and backups from the Hudson River Crossings could stretch as far as 23 miles.

In addition, New Jersey Transit was poised to run buses from five regional locations, carrying just 40,000 of its 105,000 daily New York City-destined travelers. Had the strike gone into effect, it would have been the first for the organization since 1983, when ridership was about 75,000 customers daily. In 2015, ridership reached its zenith, clocking more than 135,000 daily commuters both intra and interstate. 

This is a breaking news story. Check back with Patch for updates.