NJ Transit and an engineers’ union appear to be heading toward a major rail strike that would start Friday — the first one in decades. Currently, both sides are in Washington, D.C. participating in mediation,

NJ Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) are meeting in Washington today to resume the tense negotiations. The union’s members overwhelmingly rejected the first deal in April, and both sides are reportedly far apart on wages.

The union that represents the engineers who drive New Jersey Transit’s commuter trains has threatened a walkout as soon as Friday if a contract deal is not reached.