Members,
This has been a very stressful month for both you and our passengers that utilize NJ Transit. AMTRAK will be performing work to improve rail conditions in Penn Station NY. This work will involve both redirecting trains and closing tracks. Certain trains may be rerouted to a different terminal during this time. Our responsibility during this time is to perform our duties as professionally and safely as possible. We are tasked with collecting ALL of the fares on the train that we work. Please be mindful there is no rule that allows us “not to collect fares” during a service disruption.
If a passenger causes a disturbance on board a train or refuses to pay a fare, please be polite and explain to them you are required to call for police assistance for a fare refusal. If after this explanation no payment of fare is made, call the line dispatcher and request police assistance. While waiting for the police assistance, please make a PA announcement about the delay. Once police assistance arrives on scene, the passenger who refused to pay the fare will be removed from the train. There will be no opportunity for the passenger once the police arrive, to then pay the fare, since the train has already been delayed. The passenger will then be under the direction of the police officer on scene.
In closing, the recent AMTRAK service disruptions were never our fault nor were the delays that followed. I am asking all members for patience and understanding when dealing with our passengers. I would hope the passengers extend the same amount of respect and courtesy to our crews, as we strive to get them to their destinations safely.
Thank you and be safe,
Stephen J. Burkert
General Chairman- Local 60
