The penthouse views mentioned by union members refers to NJ Transit’s new offices at Gateway Center in Newar, leased for 25 years at a cost of $500 million. It has been a rallying point for union criticism that the agency has money to move from a building they own, but not to provide a competitive wage for engineers.

With a possible NJ Transit strike looming later this week​, engineers protested in front of the agency's headquarters on Wednesday in Newark.

If the engineers do walk off the job, the agency plans to increase bus service, saying it would add “very limited” capacity to existing New York commuter bus routes in close proximity to rail stations and will contract with private carriers to operate bus service from key regional park-and-ride locations during weekday peak periods.