SMART-TD Local 60, a roughly 1,600-member union for NJ Transit conductors and assistant conductors, has endorsed Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop for governor about a month after he unveiled his statewide transportation plan.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Mayor Fulop has shown throughout this campaign that he cares deeply about public transit and will make the investments necessary to not just improve our transportation systems, but to create more union jobs and grow New Jersey’s economy for the middle class,” SMART-TD Local 60 General Chairman Jerome Johnson said in a statement.
“On behalf of our members I’m proud to join the Fulop campaign and we will work hard to ensure that he is successful and is elected as our next Governor.”
SMART-TD Local 60 joins the Amalgamated Transit Workers Union International, the New Jersey Council, healthcare workers union District 1199J, as well as four Teamsters locals representing thousands of active and retired workers.
“SMART-LD Local 60 members are charged with making NJ Transit trains work for commuters and residents every day, and the fact that they believe in our campaign and our vision for public transportation in New Jersey speaks volumes,” added Fulop.
“I’m thankful to all of the hardworking men and women who make up this union and I look forward to working closely with them to invest in NJ Transit and deliver the improvements that both riders and employees deserve.”
SMART-TD Local 60 ratified a new contract with NJ Transit in July and is not among the unions currently in active negotiations with the state ahead of a potential strike.
Notably, Fulop’s 10-point transportation plan called for NJ Transit to run the PATH, which is currently operated by the Port Authority, as well as for congestion pricing that would be an allocated funding source for PATH and Hudson-Bergen Light Rail improvements.
