Journalists and Workers at The New York Times Begin Walkout

On Thursday, hundreds of journalists and other employees at The New York Times began a 24-hour walkout, voicing frustration with the stalled bargaining after their last contract expired in March 2021.

Key Quotes: “Today we were ready to work for as long as it took to reach a fair deal, but management walked away from the table with five hours to go,” the New York Times Guild tweeted Wednesday night. “It’s official: @NYTimesGuild members are walking out for 24 hours on Thursday. We know what we’re worth.”

For Context: Last week, the New York Times Guild threatened that 1,000 employees would stage a walkout if the Times did not agree to increasing wages by 10%, rather than 5.5%.  The guild also cited "wasteful expenditures" such as stock buybacks to investors, and asked for a more flexible remote work schedule that would loosen the current requirement to work three days a week in the office. Both sides remained far apart on issues such as remote work practices, the company's evaluation system, and wages. The walkout is the first strike of its kind at Times in more than 40 years.

How the Media Covered it: The walkout was covered by sources across the political spectrum, with many citing the burden on non-union workers and editors to keep the paper up and running, both in print and digitally.