Members of The New York Times Tech Guild protest outside of the New York Times headquarters building in New York City on Monday. (David Dee Delgado – AFP / Getty Images)
By Kassandra White November 4, 2024 at 3:53pm
Election Day is one of the most important days in the United States, and tomorrow is arguably the most important election in modern times.
With an election this crucial — and this contentious — millions of Americans will be turning to their preferred news sources to get minute-by-minute coverage.
One source, The New York Times, has become a staple on Election Day, but Monday morning, shortly after midnight, the technology staff at the Times went on strike, following months of failed negotiations between the Times tech guild and the company.
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
“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,” the New York Times Tech Guild posted on X on Monday, with an image mocking the Times’ “Needle,” a tool that predicts the winner of the presidential election based on election returns and up-to-date election information.
The guild cited several reasons for the walk-out, including fair pay, job protections, and benefits, such remote and hybrid work, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The strike, which consists of 600 tech workers, could have dire consequences for the Times’ election coverage, and it would be the first time in 60 years that a labor strike such as this occurred during a presidential election.
“Without technology workers, Times staffers say the paper could struggle to fix potential bugs or update content from more sophisticated tools like ‘The Needle,’” the Journal reported.
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“We’re in one of the most consequential periods of coverage for our readers and have robust plans in place to ensure that we are able to fulfill our mission and serve our readers,” the Times said in a statement.
“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.”
“We have been sounding the alarm for weeks and cleared our schedules to get this contract done before the election week deadline. We’re disheartened that the Times is willing to gamble with its election coverage to avoid agreeing to a fair and just contract,” NewsGuild of New York President Susan DeCarava said.
Members of the guild began picketing outside of the Times’ headquarters in New York City at 9 a.m.
They also requested that members of the public join in solidarity and “honor the digital picket line” by refusing to use Times’ apps, such as its cooking app, and to play Times’ games, such as Wordle.
Newsroom union workers at the Times, who are separate from the tech guild, signed a pledge last month in support of the tech guild’s negotiations.
However, some newsroom members have expressed frustration at the strike occurring just before Election Day, claiming that while negotiations are important, greater importance should be placed on providing service to readers.
“Guild leadership could have chosen any other day — 364 of them, in fact — to make the entirely reasonable point that workers deserve a fair contract,” national desk reporter Jeremy Peters said.
According to the Times, negotiations lasted until late Sunday night, with the company offering “a 2.5 percent annual wage increase, a minimum 5 percent pay increase for promotions and a $1,000 ratification bonus,” as well as maintaining “current in-office work requirements of two days a week through June, while allowing employees to work fully remotely for three weeks per year.”
“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 across the finish line,” guild unit chair Kathy Zhang said in the statement.
Just hours before Election Day coverage begins, there is still a chance for tech workers to return, but, according to a Times representative, the paper has “robust plans in place to ensure that we are able to fulfill our mission and serve our readers.”
Kassandra White is the Supervising Editor for The Western Journal. A former high school English and Special Education teacher, she taught for seven and a half years in Texas, Hawaii, and Florida before transitioning to the world of publishing and then news media. She holds a BA in English and M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction from Texas A&M University, as well as an MBA from Franklin Pierce University.
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