The union’s requests “would cost taxpayers and NJ Transit $1.363 billion between July 2025 and June 2030. That’s $684 million more than the contract proposal union members voted down on April 15,” the agency said. Earlier this month, NJ reached a tentative agreement with its largest union, representing 5,500 bus drivers and mechanics.

The union, known as BLET, was seeking pay comparable to the wages made by engineers at other nearby railroads, including Long Island Rail Road. NJ Transit, which has long had shaky finances, was trying to avoid blowing a hole in its own budget.