Okay, so here’s the thing—if the engineers get that big raise from New Jersey Transit, it’s not like the money just appears out of nowhere. NJ Transit already said that if they gave in to all the union’s pay demands, it would end up costing about $1.36 billion in five years. That’s not chump change. Most of their cash comes from government funding, which basically means taxpayers are the ones paying for this.

Honestly, if salaries go up, NJ Transit might have to charge more for tickets, ask the state for more money, or even cut services somewhere else to balance things out. My dad was mad because he thinks taxes are already too high, so he’s worried this strike will just make bills worse for everyone else. I get that engineers want to get paid more, but as someone who still depends on my parents for a lot, I see why people are annoyed about the idea of higher taxes.

It feels like commuters and taxpayers keep getting squeezed whenever there’s a fight like this. So yeah, a raise could be good for the workers, but I bet a lot of people are worried about what it means for their wallets.