NJ Transit Pay Scandal: Agency Hires Monitor to Investigate Union Overpayments Amid Soaring Train Cancellations!
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
RIDGEWOOD, NJ – NJ Transit is taking decisive action to address serious concerns regarding its administrative and payroll processes, announcing the immediate hiring of an integrity monitor. This move comes directly in the wake of documents suggesting alleged overpayments and improper payroll entries involving leaders of the major rail union.
The temporary monitor has a five-week assignment to conduct a comprehensive review, with a specific focus on financial accountability and labor practices following a period of intense strain between the agency and its engineers.
The Root of the Review: $10K in Alleged Overpayments
The internal audit was spurred by records provided by NorthJersey.com that appeared to show four leaders of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) union calling out of shifts for long periods between October 2024 and March 2025.
NJ Transit officials are now seeking to reclaim at least $10,000 from two union officers who may have been paid for being on “company time” while actually conducting union-related business.
Union General Chairman Thomas Haas has vehemently denied the allegations, maintaining that he and his officers were properly compensated.
Key Distinction: Union officers can be paid by NJ Transit for “company business” (like safety briefings or meetings with agency officials), but must be paid by the union for “union business” (like grievances and labor relations). The alleged improper payments blur this critical line.
Staffing and Cancellations: A Tense Backdrop
The payroll controversy is unfolding against a backdrop of ongoing service disruptions. NJ Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri highlighted a significant increase in engineer absences this summer:
- July 2025: Saw a 70% increase in canceled trains compared to July 2024 due to a lack of available engineers.
- August 2025: Experienced a 20% increase in cancellations over the same period last year.
While the union’s Haas blames the agency for failing to train and retain new engineers, NJ Transit asserts that its current roster of 418 engineers exceeds its official full complement of 400.
The Integrity Monitor’s Mission
The integrity monitor’s mandate, outlined in a memo from CEO Kolluri, is sweeping. The monitor is tasked to examine any policy or process that “either negatively impacts our riders or unduly costs the taxpayers of New Jersey.”
Key objectives for the five-week review include:
- Outlining administrative and procedural recommendations to fix deficiencies.
- Determining “clawback measures” for any recoupment of improper payments.
- Developing a “road map” of work rules that unduly impede the agency’s ability to run a reliable railroad for the next administration.
Deputy General Manager Patrick McGreal has already suggested changes, such as assigning a single scheduler for company business meetings and implementing monthly time card reviews, to prevent future payment errors and restore fiscal accountability.
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I’m eager for the development of self-driving locomotive technology. If we can have self-driving cars and trucks, and EZPass, why not? Seems to me to be relatively simple, comparatively. Eliminate the 400 union engineers.