Technology staffers at the New York Times have gone on strike just hours before Election Day, which could make the paper’s coverage of an incredibly tight presidential contest even tougher.
The work stoppage comes after multiple rounds of bargaining. Picketing began in front of the newspaper’s entrance Monday at 9:00 a.m. The NewsGuild of New York, the union representing the technology workers, asked readers to honor a digital picket line by not playing popular games like Wordle or accessing the NYT Cooking app.
Tech workers at the Times oversee everything from website maintenance to mobile push alerts to the paper’s “election needle.” Should the strike continue into Tuesday, it will be the first time a strike has interacted with a presidential election since 1964. The group previously went on a half-day strike on Oct. 30, protesting return-to-office mandates.
ˆNew York Times said it had plans in place to ensure election coverage saw minimal impacts from the strike and expressed frustration with the timing of the work action.
“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,” a spokesperson said. “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. 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.”
Union officials, though, say they did all they could to avoid the action.
“Our union members and bargaining committee have done everything possible to avoid this ULP strike,” said Kathy Zhang, unit chair of the Tech Guild, in a statement. “But management is more willing to risk our election coverage than they are to agree to a fair deal with its workers. 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 done.”
Tech Guild's Demands
The Tech Guild has roughly 600 members, ranging from data analysts and project managers to software engineers. They have become an increasingly critical part of the paper’s operations as the push is underway to expand digital subscriptions.
The union has not had a contract since it was formed in 2022, but Times officials say the workers it represents are already among the highest-paid at the company, earning an average of $40,000 more per year than members of the Times’ union for journalists.
The union’s main concerns that remain unresolved are: remote/hybrid work protections; “just cause” job protections, which “the newsroom union has had for decades”; limits on subcontracting; and pay equity/fair pay. The Tech Guild alleged Times management has “engaged in numerous labor law violations, including implementing return-to-office mandates without bargaining and attempting to intimidate members through interrogations about their strike intentions.”
The New York Times Co., in response to the issues the Tech Guild union raised, said in part that it has offered the same “just cause” provisions that the NewsGuild recently agreed to with workers at the Times’ Wirecutter division, which states that “no employee shall be disciplined or discharged except for just and sufficient cause” and that arbitrators should retain their authority to decide whether just cause has been met and whether any disciplinary actions are warranted. On the topic of remote work, the company said it is continuing its policy of requiring employees to come into the office twice per week through June 2025 while letting them work fully remotely for three weeks per year.
Regarding the union’s “fair pay” demands, the company claimed the Tech Guild’s original proposals would have added more than $100 million to the unit’s total compensation over the life of a three-year contract and would pay its members significantly more for fewer hours. The company said it offered a 2.5% annual wage increase, a minimum 5% pay increase for promotions and a $1,000 ratification bonus. The average total compensation (comprising salary, bonus and restricted stock options) of workers repped by the Tech Guild unit is $190,000, which is $40,000 more on average than journalists in the Times Guild, according to the company.
Impact of the Strike
The strike could have an impact that reaches much further than just election coverage, however. The Tech Guild consists of software engineers, product managers, data analysts and designers that oversee several of the paper’s digital offerings, such as live blogs, mobile push alerts, games and the famous election needle.
Hoehne told the Post that elections bring increased traffic to the website, which puts “stress on the system”. Without experienced engineers on hand to deal with the sudden surge of extra traffic, “teams can be [affected] in a big way,” she said.
The Guild is asking that readers honor their picket line by boycotting the Times’ selection of games, including Wordle and the daily digital crossword, and to avoid other digital extensions such as the Cooking app.
Implications for the Future
The New York Times Co. has been in a battle with its tech workers for months, and the strike is only the latest development in a complex and evolving story. It remains to be seen how long the strike will last, but the impact on the paper’s digital operations is likely to be significant. With the 2024 presidential election just hours away, the stakes are high, and the pressure is on both sides to reach a deal.
This is a story that will continue to unfold in the coming days and weeks. Be sure to check back for updates on the New York Times tech workers strike.
