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Monmouth University gets edged out by rival Iona,

a loss that could leave the Hawks out of the NCAA
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TUESDAY 03.08.16

Christie going
away despite
NJ Transit rail
strike threat

NEW JERSEY
TRANSIT STRIKE

SURVIVAL
GUIDE

What commuters
can expect if the
states trains stop
rolling next week

MIKE DAVIS @BYMIKEDAVIS

On a quiet night, the whistles of oncoming NJ Transit trains can be heard for miles.
But as early as midnight on Sunday, it could get suddenly, eerily quiet. There wont be any train whistles
because there wont be any trains in service, save for
the passing freighter or rare late-night Amtrak.
More than 4,000 NJ Transit workers could strike as
early as Sunday, if a coalition representing them cant
come to an agreement on a new contract with their employer.
The full impact of a strike will likely first be felt on
Monday, when more than 100,000 Manhattan-bound
commuters pack onto buses, light rail cars, ferries and
their own cars to start their work week in New York. It

105K

would be the first NJ Transit work stoppage in 33

years.
Its as stressful for our employees as it is for the
commuters. Its tense. Youre talking about your paycheck, said Steve Burkert, general chairman of
SMART-TD Local 60.
At a union rally on Saturday, New Jersey State AFLCIO President Charlie Wowkanech yelled into a microphone as nearly 1,000 workers and supporters cheered
and chanted in unison.
Gov. Christie gets a raise every year. He doesnt
wait five years. Why should you? Wowkanech said. If
we stay together, and we fight together, were going to
win together. Stay strong and were going to
See STRIKE, Page 4A

10K

Manhattan-bound
commuters would be
displaced by strike.

25

Number of additional
cars per hour that
will hit the road.

The number of miles

in which traffic backups will be possible.

Governor says hell stay in contact

while taking vacation with his wife
BOB JORDAN @BOBJORDANAPP
MIKE DAVIS @BYMIKEDAVIS

NEWARK - Commuters bracing for traffic Armageddon if NJ Transit workers strike next week might do
well to follow Gov. Chris Christies lead: Hes going on
vacation.
Christie on Monday said he has no plans to cancel a
vacation this week celebrating his 30th anniversary
with wife Mary Pat and insisted hes not concerned
about the optics of being away as negotiations continue
in advance of a threatened work stoppage.
Thats what you get concerned about, Christie said
when asked about the optics of going away. What I
get concerned about are the results, not the optics.
Christie, speaking after an event promoting charter
schools, says hell be back by the end of the week; he
hasnt disclosed where he is going. He said hell be in the
negotiation loop regardless.
A strike could come Sunday. Looming worst-case
projections call for added highway volume causing
backups of between nine and 23 miles at the major
crossings to New York City.
Im never truly on vacation. Im away, and Im hoping to have a little bit of time to relax. Im sure Ill be
taking calls and giving instructions and directions, he
said. Christie said he will be away three or four days.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio took heat for
See CHRISTIE, Page 10A

Negotiations ongoing
NJ Transit, rail workers meet again; union head says Everybody thought outside the box a little bit in talks. 10A

Dead mans murder conviction tossed

KATHLEEN HOPKINS @KHOPKINSAPP

FREEHOLD - The reversal of David Bass conviction in a Neptune murder came five days too late.
Bass died at age 65 on March 2, according to the
state Department of Corrections website.
But on Monday, the states highest court unanimously ordered a new trial for Bass, a former Asbury Park
resident, after the justices said he should have been allowed to question a favorable plea deal given to the
states key witness against him.

A study finds weekly wages

are rising, but balanced by
more low-wage hiring. 1B

ADVICE
CLASSIFIED
COMICS
HEALTHY LIVING
LOCAL

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Bass had been convicted in a 2006 double shooting in

Neptune that left 19-year-old Jessica Shabazz dead and
James Sinclair, then 29, of Long Branch wounded.
The justices said Bass was unfairly prejudiced at
his trial because he couldnt bring up the terms of the
plea bargain given to Sinclair, the states key witness
against him. That plea deal, which cut a potential life
prison term for the accuser to a term of probation,
might have shown that Sinclairs testimony was biased,
See MURDER, Page 10A

OBITUARIES
OPINION
SPORTS
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VOLUME 137
NUMBER 58
SINCE 1879