At an ultra-critical time for the news portal, NYT tech workers are on strike after negotiations between the union and the organization fell through. The New York Times is facing a tech strike that began just ahead of the critical Election Day news period when the agency plays a key role in keeping citizens updated on the election proceedings.
The Times Tech Guild, which represents the workers in charge of software development and data analysis, took to Twitter/X to explain that it had given “management months of notice” on the strike deadline but the company had decided that the members weren’t “worth enough to agree to a fair contract.” As a result, the NYT union is officially on strike, with complaints of unfair labor practices.
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NYT Workers Strike over “Just Cause” Contract Provision; Pay Equity
A report in the New York Times explained that the two parties negotiated until late Sunday but they were able to reach middle ground. The main issues between the two parties appear to be disagreements over the inclusion of a “just cause” provision in the worker’s contracts. This would mean that workers could only be fired if there was reasonable evidence of misconduct or other clear issues, instead of being eliminated at the will of their employer.
The Times tech union also raised issues of pay equity and expectations of a pay raise. Return-to-office policies have been a major point of contention between employers and employees in general, whether you consider Amazon’s policy or the DOL’s decision to bring workers back to the organization, and it appears that workers at NYT also have similar concerns.
Before the NYT workers went on strike, it is said that they filed unfair labor practices charges with the National Labor Relations Board against The Times in relation to the RTO mandates, and the organization’s attempt to “interrogate members” about the upcoming strike.
Why Strike Now?
Despite the news of negotiations emerging only recently, the Times Tech Guild has been engaged in contract negotiations since March 2022, when it was formally approved by the NLRB. Frustrated by the lack of a finalized contract, the guild sent a letter to the company’s board of directors pointing out that this was their third year of negotiations. The letter also included an ultimatum that showed that a strike had been approved by the members on September 10, 2024, which they intended to initiate during this period.
The NYT tech walkout comes at a critical time when the readership of the news agency is expected to be at an all-time high due to the ongoing election proceedings. The global shift in prioritization of digital media over print media has also emphasized the importance of maintaining an online presence, which is where tech workers come into the picture.
The decision to go on strike at such a critical time is a calculated move from the union to show the organization just how important the workers are to the business and its smooth functioning.
In addition to the New York Times tech strike, workers have also urged readers to avoid playing any of the popular games from the organization such as Wordle and Connections, and to avoid using the NYT Cooking app. These fringe services draw in a considerable amount of traffic to the page, and the reduction in these numbers can also be a way to send a message to the organization.
There does appear to be some support from readers who have taken to social media to share images of their broken streaks on these games to show solidarity. On the surface, the news agency does not appear to have been significantly interrupted by the strike initiated by over 600 workers, but we are still in the early days of the disruption.
Did The New York Times Try to Avoid the Union Strike?
According to the Times report, it did enter discussions with the workers over their demands, but the parties were not able to arrive at a resolution before the deadline. The organization offered the tech workers a 2% annual increase in wages along with a minimum 5% pay increase guaranteed for promotions. A $1000 ratification bonus was also offered.
Despite these concessions, the company was unwilling to budge on its two-day in-person work policy that required the workers to go into the office, however, workers could work remotely full-time for three weeks a year. It is unclear which parts of the contract negotiations have led to issues between the two parties but there appears to be a pointed gap between expectations.
“Our union members and bargaining committee have done everything possible to avoid this ULP strike,” Kathy Zhang, a Senior Analytics Manager at The New York Times and unit chair of the Tech Guild explained. “But management is more willing to risk our election coverage than they are to agree to a fair deal with its workers. They have left us no choice but to demonstrate the power of our labor on the picket line. Nevertheless, we stand ready to bargain and get this contract done.”
For now, the NYT workers strike is expected to continue indefinitely with workers picketing from 9 am to 6 pm outside the Eighth Avenue entrance of The New York Times.
