(NewsNation) — The New York Times union representing tech workers at the newspaper announced it is going on an Unfair Labor Practice strike one day before the election.
“We gave @nytimes management months of notice of our strike deadline, we made ourselves available around the clock, but the company has decided that our members aren’t worth enough to agree to a fair contract and stop committing unfair labor practices,” The New York Times Guild said on X Monday morning.
According to a report in the Times, the two sides negotiated until late Sunday. “Sticking points” during recent discussions included whether employees could get a “just cause” provision in their contract; pay increase and equity and “return-to-office” policies, according to the NYT.
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Times management, the report said, told workers in an email Sunday that it offered a 2.% annual wage increase; a minimum 5% pay increase for promotions and a $1,000 ratification bonus to the union. The company will maintain its two-day-a-week in-office requirement through June 2025, the email said, but employees would be able to work remotely full-time for three weeks a year.
Last Friday, the New York Times Tech Guild, which is made up of about 700 employees including software developers and data analysts, sent a letter to the company’s board of directors. In the letter, the guild, noting that it is in the third year of contract negotiations, said members authorized a strike on Sept. 10.
“As the bargaining committee of the Times Tech Guild, we are writing to you to make you aware that Times representatives have demonstrated an unwillingness at the table to be reasonable on key contract demands,” the Tech Guild wrote. “…We want to reach an agreement and believe it is possible with a good faith management partner. We have made it clear that we need to reach an agreement before the election in order to avert a strike.”
However, this agreement did not end up happening, so the Guild said in a statement that its members will protest outside the company’s headquarters daily beginning at 9 a.m. Monday.
“They have left us no choice but to demonstrate the power of our labor on the picket line,” Kathy Zhang, the guild’s unit chair, said in the statement, according to the NYT report. “Nevertheless, we stand ready to bargain and get this contract across the finish line.”
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Guild members asked people not to cross the “digital picket line” by using the New York Times’ Games products such as Wordle and Connections, or the Cooking App, though they said reading the news content is OK.
In a statement to NewsNation, Danielle Rhoades Ha, senior vice president for external communications for the New York Times said the company looks forward to continuing to reach a fair contract with the union.
“While we respect the union’s right to engage in protected actions, we’re disappointed that colleagues would strike at this time, which is both unnecessary and at odds with our mission,” the statement said.
Rhoades Ha said the New York Times has “robust plans in place to ensure that we are able to fulfill our mission and serve our readers” during the strike.
Earlier this month, nearly 750 New York Times journalists and Guild members signed a pledge calling on the company’s management to reach a contract deal with tech union members by Election Day.
“Since announcing their intention to strike, Tech Guild members have been clear with management that they are ready to bargain until a deal is reached,” they said. “Unfortunately, as they have throughout the history of the Tech Guild, company reps indicated that they plan to continue the slow pace of bargaining and will not commit to schedule adequate bargaining time.”
