New York Times to have first mass staff strike in decades
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Daylong protests will be held as management and the union disagree on pay and remote work.
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The New York Times is preparing for a 24-hour walkout on Thursday. (AP)
Hundreds of journalists and other staff members are preparing to take a 24-hour strike on Thursday, the first of its sort at The New York Times in more than 40 years.
1,100 members of the NYT Guild signed a letter last week threatening to quit if their demands weren't satisfied or a fair compromise couldn't be achieved. The guild issued a statement confirming their walkout.
The Times Guild is requesting a higher salary overall and a wage floor of $65,000. They claim that neither the inflation rate nor the average salary growth in the US has been reflected in management's recommendations. The Guild estimates that the most recent offer from management would represent a 2.875% yearly raise.
Members of the NewsGuild include writers and staff members from the circulation and advertising departments, among others.
The last NewsGuild strike of this size happened in 1965, in which multiple papers were shut down for days, including the Baltimore Sun and the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner.
Barring a breakthrough, @nytimes staff will walk out from midnight to 11:59pm Thursday, Dec. 8.
— Maggie Astor (@MaggieAstor) December 7, 2022
We’re asking readers to stand with us on the digital picket line and not visit any NYT platforms tomorrow. Read local news. Make something from a cookbook. Break your Wordle streak. https://t.co/KiUlHAtkuh
Meredith Levien, the CEO of the New York Times, wrote an email to the entire staff stating that while she cares about getting Guild members "a contract that recognizes and rewards their work," the negotiations must also lead to financial success for the business, which she claims is "inextricably linked" to their mission.
However, the NewsGuild eviscerated in a letter signed by over 1,000 workers that management had been "dragging its feet" in contract negotiations for almost two years and that "time is running out to establish a fair deal" by the end of the year.
A "strong report" will be released on Thursday, according to Joe Kahn, executive editor of the New York Times, but "it will be harder than normal."
Other shorter walkouts have occurred at The New York Times in recent years, including a half-day demonstration in August by a newly-formed union representing technology workers who complained of unfair labor practices.
