The New York Times Tech Guild announced Monday morning it is officially on an unfair labor practice strike, just one day before the high stakes presidential election.
The union explained on X that it gave management “months of notice of our strike deadline,” but ultimately, “the company has decided that our members aren’t worth enough to agree to a fair contract and stop committing unfair labor practices.”
We are on ULP strike. 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. pic.twitter.com/jYlANW1ruw
— New York Times Tech Guild (@NYTGuildTech) November 4, 2024
The guild is comprised of over 600 tech workers such as software engineers and data analysts who “build and maintain the critical infrastructure behind The New York Times,” according to the guild's website. They work on the back-end of Times' products including games, recipes, podcasts and election coverage, according to the website. The NYT said they work on the business side of the company.
NYT spokesperson Danielle Rhoades Ha told NBC News Monday that while the company respects “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.”
“We look forward to continuing to work with the Tech Guild to reach a fair contract that takes into account that they are already among the highest paid individual contributors in the Company and journalism is our top priority,” Ha said.
The Times said that it has “robust plans in place to ensure that we are able to fulfill our mission and serve our readers.”
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The Times Tech Guild and NYT management negotiated through late Sunday, according to a report from the New York Times. Issues at the table included having a “just cause” provision in the guild contract, pay increases and pay equity, and return-to-office policies.
The Guild said those on strike will picket in front of the NYT office in Times Square every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and are asking the public to support them by avoiding using the NYT's games or cooking apps.
New York Times media reporter Katie Robertson said on X that the NYT’s newsroom union told members Monday that there’s a no-strike clause in its contract, but members can support the striking tech workers “by refusing to do their work if asked by management.”
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