The Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of NJ (SHCCNJ) President & CEO Carlos Medina, issued the following statement regarding the potential for a strike next month by NJ TRANSIT engineers:

The Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of NJ (SHCCNJ) strongly urges all parties involved in the ongoing rail labor negotiations to come to a reasonable and fair agreement that considers the interests of taxpayers, employers, and the more than 350,000 daily commuters whose lives would be significantly disrupted in the event of a rail strike.

A rail strike would have far-reaching consequences across the business community, and Hispanic-owned businesses—many of which operate in sectors heavily dependent on reliable transit—would be especially vulnerable.

We recognize the valuable contributions of transit workers and support fair compensation. However, any wage agreement must be balanced and financially sustainable. The corporate transit fee, which was funded by many of the member businesses that make up the SHCCNJ, was designed to support the long-term viability of our transit systems—not to fund unreasonable wage increases that could strain public
budgets and force potential cuts to vital services.

We call on union and transit leaders to work together in good faith to reach a deal that protects workers while preserving the reliability and affordability of our transit systems for the diverse communities and businesses that depend on them.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.