A second NJ Transit rail union has rejected a tentative agreement with the railroad after a Saturday afternoon vote by members.



UTU Local 60, which represents conductors, rejected the offer that averted a March 13 strike. Union representative did not comment on the vote.

On Friday, members of a different union representing locomotive engineers also voted to reject the contract.

NJ Transit officials said the vote doesn't mean a strike will be called immediately.



"The two unions representing the conductors and engineers have the right, under the Federal Railway Labor Act, to request the resumption of negotiations. In the event the two unions make that request, NJ Transit will meet with them," said Nancy Snyder, a spokeswoman. "Under the earlier agreements, there is an additional 60 day cooling off period in effect now, through the end of June, that precludes strikes or lockouts."



Both ratification votes failed by narrow margins, Snyder said.



"Although NJ Transit is disappointed in these two rejections, it is heartened that all 14 other unions ratified their contracts by significant majorities," she said. "These 14 contracts have been finally approved by the Board of NJ Transit and are now final and in effect."

A strike that would have affected thousands of commuters across the state was averted with a tentative agreement reached on March 11, 30 hours before a strike or lock-out deadline.



Transportation experts predicted commuting chaos if the more than 100,000 rail riders served daily by NJ Transit, the nation's third-largest commuter railway, had to rely on alternate transportation. A contingency plan by the agency would have only been able to accommodate about 40 percent of the daily riders that commute on NJ Transit trains.



The agreement, which gives the rail workers a 21 percent retroactive salary increase and requires them to contribute up to $160 monthly for health insurance coverage, ended years of negotiations during which 4,200 rail employees worked without a contract.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

