New York Times tech union goes on strike, day before election – NBC New York

The New York Times Tech Guild announced Monday morning that it is officially on strike over unfair labor practices, just one day before the high-stakes presidential election.

The union explained further X that it gave management “months’ notice of the strike deadline” but ultimately “the company decided that our members were not valuable enough to accept a fair contract and stop engaging in unfair practices of work”.

The guild consists of more than 600 technology 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 site. The NYT said he works on the business side of the company.

NYT spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades Ha told NBC News on Monday that while the company respects the union’s “right to engage in protected action, we are disappointed that colleagues would strike at this time, which is both unnecessary, as well as contradicting 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 it had “robust plans in place to ensure we are able to deliver on our mission and serve our readers”.

The Times Tech Guild and NYT management negotiated through Sunday night, according to a report by New York Times. Issues on the table included a “just cause” provision in the union contract, wage increases and pay equity, and back-to-the-office policies.

Guild said the strikers will picket outside the NYT office in Times Square each day from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and are asking the public to support them by avoiding using the NYT’s cooking games or apps.

New York Times media reporter Katie Robertson said about X that the NYT newsroom union told members Monday that there is a no-strike clause in its contract, but members can support striking tech workers “by refusing to do their jobs if asked by management.”

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