First Transit In Newark Will Lay Off 289 Workers, Transfers Expected

NEWARK, NJ — A layoff notice has been served for nearly 300 employees of First Transit in Newark, but many are expected to get a transfer to new job, the company says.

First Transit – which operates public and private transportation services in hundreds of locations across the nation – was recently listed on a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) advisory on the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development website.

The 289 layoffs at First Transit in Newark will take effect by April 9, according to the notice.

WARN notices offer protection to workers, their families and communities by requiring employers to provide notice 60 days in advance of plant closings and mass layoffs.

When reached for comment about the WARN notice and the reason for the layoffs, a company spokesperson gave Patch the following statement:

"We are no longer the contractor operating the Region 5 contract for NJ Transit in Newark, New Jersey as of April 9, 2023. The layoffs are specific to the region serving Essex and Union counties in New Jersey. We are working with NJ Transit to ensure a smooth transition to the new provider who begins on April 10. As is typical in these contracting situations, we expect most employees to transfer over to the new contractor. We continue to operate contracts for NJ Transit for Regions 4 and 6 separately."

Earlier this month, First Transit announced the completion of a merger with Transdev, another transportation industry giant that operates across the U.S. The two corporations are now part of the same company, and will operate under the Transdev brand.

OTHER LAYOFFS IN NEW JERSEY

First Transit isn’t the only company in New Jersey that announced layoffs for April.

Japan-based pharmaceutical company Eisai, which recently moved its U.S. headquarters to Nutley, is planning to dismiss nearly 100 workers by April 30, although only three of the layoffs will impact employees in the township. According to a company spokesperson, the layoffs are related to a recent agreement with biopharmaceutical company Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Inc., which acquired the U.S. rights for Fycompa, an anti-epileptic medication, from Eisai in January.

• See Related: Nutley-Based Pharma Company Will Lay Off 91 Workers

Meanwhile, Walmart is laying off thousands of workers at five facilities across the U.S., including one in New Jersey, and giving them 90 days to find a new job. Just over 200 workers at the Pedricktown (Salem County) facility have been let go as the retailer reduces evening and weekend shifts, a company spokesperson confirmed to Reuters.

• See Related: Walmart Closing E-Commerce Fulfillment Center In NJ, 4 Other States

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