American news daily, The New York Times might be heading for hard times as hundreds of its employees began a 24-hour strike on Thursday, over poor pay and work conditions. According to the NewsGuild of New York, which represents journalists and other staffers at the NYTimes, some major departments will lose up to 90% of their workforce during the strike which started at 12.01 am on Thursday.
Hundreds of journalists and other employees at The New York Times began a 24-hour walkout in what would be the first strike of its kind at the newspaper in more than 40 years. https://t.co/FKoltfBPOk
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 8, 2022
Prominent journalists like Nikole Hannah-Jones and film critic AO Scott are reportedly also participating in the strike.
According to media reports, newsroom employees and other members of The NewsGuild of New York, who believe that the company can afford their demands, said that they are tired of the prolonged bargaining that occurred since their last contract expired in March 2021.
The employees reportedly said in a statement that the walkout was “due to the company’s failure to bargain in good faith, reach a fair contract agreement with the workers, and meet their demands.
“We had hoped to reach a fair deal before our deadline, but more than 1,100 of us are ready to take a stand together, for each other and for journalists everywhere,” news agency CNN quoted reporter Jenny Vrentas as saying.
Meanwhile, reacting to the strike called by the employees, Meredith Kopit Levien, the president and chief executive of The Times, said in an email to the company Wednesday night, “It’s disappointing that they’re taking such drastic action, given the clear commitment we’ve shown to negotiate our way to a contract that provides Times journalists with substantial pay increases, market-leading benefits, and flexible working conditions.”
Notably, the American media outlet’s employees and the management have been at loggerheads over matters such as starting salary, wage increases, retirement and health care plans, and remote employment since the previous contract was terminated in March 2021.
Members of the NewsGuild of New York, which represents union members, claimed the firm’s performance – and its capacity to spend millions on CEO salaries, share buybacks, and dividends – had influenced their demands.
Negotiations took place Tuesday and Wednesday, but the sides remained far apart on issues including wage increases and remote-work policies.
In a 12-hour negotiation session on Tuesday, the firm agreed to higher wage increases than it had previously offered, including 3% guaranteed hikes in 2023 and 2024, and rejected a proposal to eliminate pensions, among other improvements.
The Union Times, a newsletter published by the NewsGuild, however, described The Times’ wage concessions on Wednesday as “paltry” and said management has “barely budged” on the issue.
The Union also announced on Twitter on Wednesday evening that no agreement had been reached and that the walkout will take place. “We were ready to work for as long as it took to reach a fair deal,” it said, “but management walked away from the table with five hours to go,” the union said, adding, “We know what we’re worth.”
The NewsGuild also reported that the corporation informed employees going to strike that they would not be paid for the duration of the strike. According to the union, members were also asked to work longer hours to complete work before the strike.
