By Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on February 03, 2016 at 7:41 AM, updated February 04, 2016 at 12:25 PM
NJ Transit insiders say there is a 75 to 85 percent likelihood that a coalition of 17 rail unions, which have been working without a contract for five years, will call a “soft strike” over the weekend of March 12.
The strike could likely last through the Monday morning commute on March 14, when workers say they expect to be ordered back to work by the Obama administration. The last strike in March 1983 lasted for 34 days.
“They’ll soften the blow … Let the media know, let commuters know, let everyone get home on Friday night,” one NJ Transit insider said.
NJ Transit and the rail unions met Wednesday as a March strike deadline approaches. NJ Transit spokeswoman Nancy Snyder said those negotiation were substantive. She declined to answer a question about when the next negation session would be held.
After five years of occasionally hostile negotiations, NJ Transit and its rail unions will meet on March 4 at the National Mediation Board in Washington, D.C., both sides confirmed Friday. The gathering is one last attempt to avert a strike that could cripple transportation across the region’s.
“The National Mediation Board called a meeting, and NJT will attend,” said Nancy Snyder, a spokeswoman for NJ Transit.
The sides remain far apart. From the unions’ perspective, NJ Transit’s offer of a modest wage increase would be wiped out by significantly higher health insurance costs for workers.
Ridgewood Nj, The fact is a BCIA garage is a county owned and operated parking garage , that is paid for by Village of Ridgewood taxpayers .The Village gives up all control of the garage and Village residents have no priority.
From the Bergen Record October 13th, 2014 , “The village has been in talks with the Bergen County Improvement Authority (BCIA) for more than a year about a partnership that would ideally result in the county building a 450-space parking garage at the site of the Hudson Street lot, where there are currently only a couple dozen 12-hour metered parking spots.
The county would own and operate the garage, which the village would pay for over the course of 20-30 years from the revenue from the garage.
RAMSEY, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) — NJ TRANSIT commuters are preparing for the worst if a strike happens next month.
Commuters tell 1010 WINS’ Glenn Schuck that nerves about a possible walkout are starting to set in.
“Just like anything else, you just have to get to the table and hash it out, working around the clock and avoid those last-minute negotiations that keep everybody biting their fingernails to the morning of,” one person told 1010 WINS.
Another commuter was concerned about the bus capacity.
“The bus doesn’t run as efficiently,” he said. “It could get crowded and it definitely could affect people.”
At NJ TRANSIT’s board meeting earlier this month, the head of the union that represents conductors said more than a dozen unions affected by the contract negotiations have authorized a strike if necessary.
The Associated Press
Posted: Feb. 20, 2016 8:00 am Updated: Feb. 20, 2016 12:01 pm
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Transportation officials say ride-sharing firms won’t be blocked from operating at Newark Liberty International Airport.
The move comes just days before a ban announced by Newark authorities was due to take effect.
City officials and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey both announced late Friday that they would not bar Uber and similar services from operating at the airport.
New Jersey Transit also won’t ticket ride-share drivers at Newark Penn Station and other hubs it oversees.
The ban was due to take effect Monday. Uber had said it would compensate drivers who were fined or towed.
By Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on February 20, 2016 at 8:40 AM, updated February 20, 2016 at 11:17 AM
NJ Transit’s interim boss sharply criticized a federal labor panels recommendations to settle a contract with union rail workers, calling the proposal for “platinum level” health benefits “unreasonable and excessive.”
In a reply to nine members of Congress, who wrote him on Feb. 17, urging a settlement to avoid a possible strike, Dennis Martin, interim executive director reiterated that the agency and riders can’t afford the cost of a settlement endorsed by a second Presidential Emergency Board.
A federal cooling off period ends on March 13 and union rail workers can strike or management can lock them out. The unions have been working without a new contract since 2011. Talks were held as recently as Wednesday and a tentative negotiation session is scheduled for next week.
In it’s letter, members of the delegation said “NJ Transit should seriously consider the Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) 249 proposal, authored by a neutral panel of independent arbitrators, as a path forward.” They also suggested the agency could use federal funds to pay for a settlement.
Martin, in his reply letter, dated Friday, told the lawmakers NJ Transit can’t tap into money from the recently authorized federal transportation funding legislation to pay for a settlement, as the lawmakers suggested.
That money is available for capital construction projects, not for regular operating expenses “such as the exorbitant wages and benefits recommended by the PEB,” Martin wrote. “Addressing the underlying unreasonableness of the excessive level and cost of the platinum level health benefits recommended by the PEB is what is required.”
“The fact is Ridgewood was designated by NJT as a major transit hub several years ago and to a large extent that is why so many residents who work on Wall St have chosen to live here. Ridgewood has the reputation as the town that “has it all” great schools, charming neighborhoods, a lively downtown……and an easy commute to the city. When one gets past all the current rhetoric the three amigos are simply executing a plan and a vision for Ridgewood that was put in place long before they arrived on the scene.” Ed S
Q. What is a designated Transit Village?
A. A designated Transit Village is a municipality that has been recommended for designation by the interagency Transit Village Task Force. These municipalities have demonstrated a commitment to revitalizing and redeveloping the area around their transit facilities into compact, mixed-use neighborhoods with a strong residential component.
A municipality can be designated a Transit Village only after much of the planning and background work has already been done on the municipal level. It may only be designated a Transit Village after the Transit Village Criteria have been met.
Q. How many designated Transit Villages are there?
A. There are currently 30 designated Transit Villages. They are Pleasantville (1999), Morristown (1999), Rutherford (1999), South Amboy (1999), South Orange (1999), Riverside (2001), Rahway (2002), Metuchen (2003), Belmar (2003), Bloomfield (2003), Bound Brook (2003), Collingswood (2003), Cranford (2003), Matawan (2003), New Brunswick (2005), Journal Square/Jersey City (2005), Netcong (2005), Elizabeth/Midtown (2007), Burlington City (2007), City of Orange Township (2009), Montclair (2010), Somerville (2010), Linden (2010), West Windsor (2012), East Orange (2012), Dunellen (2012), Summit (2013), Plainfield (2014), Borough of Park Ridge (2015) and Irvington Township (2015).
Ridgewood NJ, after years of subtle move it looks like developers will get there “Transit Hub” in Ridgewood once and for all.Since 2012 the Ridgewood blog was featuring stories on the urban transit hub idea and now with the County Garage on Hudson Street plans can move forward with high density housing and a further transformation of Ridgewood into a small city and commuter access point to New York City. The idea seems to have been in play since the Ridgewood Train Station ,$40 million dollar remodeling job and NJT looked to build a parking garage in Ridgewood .
Residential developers aim for piece of proposed $1B Urban Transit Hub expansion
Chamber of Commerce/Paul Vagianos begged the council to cooperate with each other and “do this in house”…see video of Council meeting Jan 27th…
Roberta dodging his questions of “will this be open to all Bergen County residents?”— the answer is YES, Roberta
Yes, Paul Aronsohn has been “working with the BCIA for 3 years” on this scheme-WHY? Yes, this will cost more than funding within the Village of Ridgewood Yes, parking meters in CBD will be extended until 9pm and increase to a triple the rate it is now Yes, Ridgewood residents will pay the same as out of town commuters Yes, this garage is for Bergen County, not for the people of Ridgewood who will pay dearly for it
Yes, the 3 amigos are shoving this thru as an end run around our municipal government. It is disgraceful and Ridgewood deserves so much better.
To sign the petition, go to https://www.no2bcia.com to find locations and people to sign with. Thank you!
The petition is to repeal ordinance No 3519, which allows the village to enter into a 25 year lease purchasing agreement with the Bergen County Improvement Authority (BCIA)
Independent investigators found problems with how NJ Transit runs a $100 million program to improve weather resilience after Superstorm Sandy, problems that could lead to waste, fraud and abuse, according to the state treasurer’s office.
But what those problems are — and how NJ Transit should fix them — remain unknown because the agency has declined to make the findings public, violating a state law intended to ensure transparency, say legislators.
“It certainly violates the law,” John Wisniewski, chairman of the Assembly’s transportation committee and a co-sponsor of the law, said when he learned of NJ Transit’s decision not to release the records. “It’s more than just wrong. It’s outrageous. You can’t help but wonder: What are they hiding?”
Ridgewood NJ, the purpose of the garage from the very beginning seems to have been to build a commuter garage for NJT and Bergen County in Ridgewood ,moving to make the Village a transit hub
The Village of Ridgewood (the “Village”) is undertaking the construction of an $11.7M parking deck on Hudson Street (the “Project”). There are two ways the Village can finance this Project over a 25 year period. First, the Village can issue its own General Obligation Bonds (the “Village Bonds”). Second, the Village can finance the project through the Bergen County Improvement Authority (the “BCIA”), which would issue County of Bergen Guaranteed Lease Revenue Bonds (the “BCIA Bonds”). In either event, the Village will be responsible to pay 100% of the debt service on whichever bonds are issued. (https://mods.ridgewoodnj.net/pdf/manager/hudson/20160129BCIAFin.pdf )
the choice :
Transaction Costs: The model includes up-front fixed costs of issuance of $162,500 for the BCIA Bonds vs. $92,500 for the Village Bonds. These costs include typical municipal bond transaction fees such as bond counsel, financial advisor, auditor, credit rating agency, printing, etc. In addition, the analysis assumes the underwriter’s discount would be essentially the same under either scenario. The BCIA Bonds also include the upfront authority financing fee of 12.5 basis points (“bps”) of total par amount of BCIA Bonds, the annual authority administration fee of 5 bps based on the annual outstanding par amount of the BCIA Bonds and an annual trustee fee of $1,000. (https://mods.ridgewoodnj.net/pdf/manager/hudson/20160129BCIAFin.pdf )
as per usually the most expensive for Village Taxpayers is the best choice .
Going to the BCIA , once the money is approved, it tends to appear almost instantaneously, accruing interest long before the project can even get started. That is a significant reason to reconsider this plan or ploy and an excellent reason, if it does happen, not to ask for a cent more than is needed. But losing control over the way commuter spaces are priced is a huge problem and there are undoubtedly more.
There will be approximately 320 car garage. 4 levels. The mayor said in the last meeting that 2 levels may be dedicated to commuters. That’s about 160 cars for commuters. We currently already have one level, which is mostly used by Ridgewood commuters. Lets say the second level is used by Bergen County commuters at no extra money compared to Ridgewood commuters. So, 2 levels are either used by out of Ridgewood commuters or commuters who are already using this lot today without the garage.
With remaining 2 levels, we will get 160 new spot, presumably for non commuters. Cost – 12.3 million in new bond, 500K bond has been already spent + 450k already spent on environmental studies in 2014 & 2015 on this lot. = 13.25M.
That’s 82,800 for every new parking spot created for CBD. This assumes that the project will not go over the budget. With the way this council and village manager are spending the money, this is highly unlikely to stay in the budget.
FEBRUARY 5, 2016, 7:00 PM LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2016, 12:34 AM
BY CHRISTOPHER MAAG
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Both NJ Transit and its unions are preparing for a train shutdown on March 13 that would cripple the region’s transportation network, the sides confirmed on Friday. Threat of a strike by the unions or a lockout by NJ Transit is the latest escalation in a five-year dispute that leaves the two sides far apart on workers’ pay and health insurance benefits.
“Prepare yourself economically,” the New Jersey Transit Rail Coalition told its 4,200 members in a newsletter issued Friday. “At 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, March 13, every union on New Jersey Transit will strike if no agreement is reached.”
“NJ Transit is actively involved in developing a robust alternative service plan in the event the unions call a strike,” said Dennis Martin, NJ Transit’s interim executive director. “We are working with our regional partners, including NJDOT, to provide as much service as possible to our customers.”
A shutdown would make it incredibly difficult for people in New Jersey and New York City to travel and get to work, said David Peter Alan, chairman of the Lackawanna Coalition, a transit advocacy group.
“I think it’s very likely” that a strike will happen, Alan said. “It would be a disaster.”
The Council Majority ie 3 amigos have decided that although the proposed bond was not approved by the super majority that they would do an end run and get the money from the BCIA.
Worse than the extra fees involved in getting money from these outside place (and no way is this extra cost netting out to $2,200) is the fact that Ridgewood will lose control and be forced to open up the garage to outside commuters.
Faulty and incomplete analysis on BCIA bond. Even if the Council assumptions are correct on the bond fees being offset by lower rate (BIG if), you complete disregard the lost revenue by going through the BCIA. Ridgewood would lose out on the additional $750/pass per year ($750 residents – $1500 non-residents). Even if you only assume that 10 out of town cars use the garage for commuting we lose out on $187,500 over the life of the bond. We take the risk, the BCIA gets the reward – foolish.
While I’m all for helping our neighboring towns, Ridgewood commuters must come first. If we have unused commuter spaces fine let others park here. Bergen County as well and NJ transit has it’s own agenda and that agenda isn’t in the best interest of Ridgewood. It is a major mistake to take any money from these outside agencies
Once again, the Council majority is trying to rush a construction agenda item through before any opposition can organize. Look for them to rush the “comprehensive impact studies” on the high density housing question through too. That vote will be scheduled immediately after the results are released so that the minimum number of people will have read them beforehand.
Apparently they only listen to rooms full of people with signs so let’s give them what they want.
Dear Members of Council and Manager,
There are many dissatisfied residents in town, and as our representatives, we urge you to listen to our concerns, not ignore them. We have lived in Ridgewood since 1968 and we don’t remember a time when legitimate concerns were given lip service and then ignored.
Marty & Ellie Gruber
Angela Turner Stoehr , does great job in explaining the problem with the current design. Hopefully watching your explanation will be an eye opener for many who think that some residents oppose all progress, and will come to the council meeting this Wednesday to request the council to come up with a design that fits the lot and not encroaches the street, and then bond it with our own bond, instead of going to BCIA, which will open up this lot mainly for out of town commuters because of the county funding and owning the garage.
Ridgewood NJ, As weather conditions and cleanup efforts permit, NJ TRANSIT will begin restoring transit services at 11 a.m. For the latest travel information, customers should visit njtransit.com, access NJ TRANSIT’s Twitter feed at @NJTRANSIT or listen to broadcast traffic reports. Additionally, NJ TRANSIT will provide the most current service information via the My Transit alert system (www.njtransit.com/mytransit), which delivers travel advisories for your specific trip to your smartphone. Service information is also available by calling (973) 275-5555.
NJ TRANSIT will begin restoring service as follows with a gradual buildup of service during the day.
· Bus
o Customers can expect service delays and detours due to local road conditions. As such, customers should afford themselves ample time to reach their final destinations.
Click Here for North Jersey bus service information by route. (Click Here will link to pdf with route numbers and service)
Light Rail
Newark Light Rail – will resume service at 11:00 AM and operate on a modified Sunday schedule with trains running on a normal Sunday frequency. Trains will run between Grove Street and Newark Penn Station and between Broad Street and Newark Penn Station.
River LINE – will resume service at 11:00 AM and operate a regular Sunday schedule from Trenton ending at 36th Street in Camden. No service to Walter Rand Transportation Center and points south
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail – will resume service at 11:00 AM and operate a normal weekend schedule.
Commuter Rail
Morris & Essex Line – will begin operating a regular weekend schedule starting with the 12:05 p.m. out of Dover and the 12:12 p.m. out of Hoboken. NOTE: Midtown Direct trains will run into Manhattan following the regular weekend schedule.
Main/Bergen Line – will begin operating a regular weekend schedule starting with the 12:19 p.m. out of Hoboken bound for Waldwick and the 12:25 p.m. out of Hoboken bound for Suffern. Trains will depart Suffern at 1:06 p.m. and Waldwick at 1:27 p.m. heading for Hoboken.
Montclair Boonton Line – will begin operating a regular weekend schedule starting with the 12:10 p.m. out of Hoboken to Bay Street and the 1;00 p.m. departure from Bay Street to Hoboken.
Pascack Valley Line – will begin operating a regular weekend schedule starting with the 1:58 p.m. departure from Spring Valley to Hoboken.
Northeast Corridor – Poised to resume service from Trenton pending Amtrak approval to operate from Morrisville
North Jersey Coast Line – Poised to resume service upon Amtrak’s clearing of the switches at Union interlocking
Raritan Valley Line – Poised to resume service upon the clearing of switches at Aldene (Conrail) and Hunter (Amtrak) interlockings
Atlantic City Rail Line – Poised to resume service upon Amtrak’s repair of Shore interlocking
Southern Tier Service – Poised to resume Southern Tier service pending completion of Metro North’s inspections
· Access Link:
o Service remains suspended today. Reservations for trips on Access Link can be made later today (stay tuned for specific time).
System-wide Cross-Honoring Remains in Effect:
To give customers additional travel options, NJ TRANSIT will continue to offer full system wide cross-honoring through Sunday, January 24, enabling customers to use their ticket or pass on an alternate travel mode–rail, light rail or bus. Additionally, NJ TRANSIT bus, rail, light rail and bus passes will be cross-honored on private carrier buses.
