Journalists and Workers at The New York Times Begin Walkout
Summary from the AllSides News Team
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.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Right
New York Times Employees Walk Out after Contract Negotiations Stall
Hundreds of New York Times staff members went on strike on Thursday at midnight after bargaining over enhanced benefits stalled.
“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 NYT Guild tweeted Wednesday night. “It’s official: @NYTimesGuild members are walking out for 24 hours on Thursday. We know what we’re worth.”
The union updated that the parties engaged in 12 hours of negotiations, with the journalists convincing management to preserve pensions among its long list of demands....
From the Left
'New York Times' editors hustle to prepare stories for newsroom strike
More than 1,100 unionized New York Times staffers are intending to embark on a 24-hour strike today, leaving editors at the newspaper scrambling to put out a credible digital report for the day and print editions for the days following.
A protest featuring some of the paper's most celebrated names is scheduled outside the Times' midtown Manhattan headquarters for 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Pulitzer Prize winner Nikole Hannah-Jones is among those expected to speak.
" It's disappointing that they're taking such drastic action," Times Co. CEO Meredith Kopit Levien wrote in a memo late last night....
From the Center
New York Times faces first major walkout since 1970s
The New York Times is facing its first major work stoppage since the 1970s, after staff demanding better pay and benefits declared a 24-hour walkout.
The firm said it was disappointed by the decision but was prepared to serve readers "without disruption".
The stand-off comes at a time of heightened labour unrest in the US, as the cost of living continues to rise.
Union members say the company can afford their demands, despite challenges in the wider news business.
"We're incredibly fortunate to work for one of the few places...
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