NEW YORK – The New York Times is facing its first major work stoppage since the 1970s after more than a thousand union employees demanding better pay and benefits declared a 24-hour walkout.
“It is disappointing that they are taking such an extreme action when we are not at an impasse,” The Times said in a statement.
But union members insist that 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 in media, or print media, that is profitable, healthily profitable,” sports reporter Kevin Draper told the BBC. “And yet, the proposals that management has made are barely better than what we got last time.”
At the end of 2021, The Times employed about 5,000 people, including more than 2,000 in journalism operations.
The historic work stoppage is set to go in effect at midnight on Dec 8 and last for an entire 24 hours.
Instead of filing stories, employees will be seen picketing outside The Times’ offices, with prominent journalists such as Ms Nikole Hannah-Jones set to speak during a solidarity rally.
Some major desks at the paper could lose a staggering 90 per cent of their workforce during the strike, according to the NewsGuild of New York, which represents journalists and other staffers at The Times.
The union said it would leave some departments with nearly no one at work, though some units will be less affected. International staff, for example, are not part of the union, which means the World Cup coverage that has been dominating sports news is unaffected, Mr Draper said.
Since the prior contract expired in March 2021, the two sides have been at odds over issues such as starting pay, wage increases, retirement, and health care policies and remote work.
The company agreed to pay 3 per cent in guaranteed raises in 2023 and 2024, and dropped a proposal to scrap pensions, among other changes.
“Our proposals today show our good-faith effort to get things going at the bargaining table,” Mr Cliff Levy, a deputy managing editor, wrote in an e-mail to staff on Tuesday. “We are eager for the NewsGuild to join us in seeking common ground and making significant progress.”
But the proposal did not satisfy the union. It said it was pushing to secure a US$65,000 (S$88,000) starting salary and pay raises of 5.5 per cent in 2023 and 2024, noting that the company’s proposals have not made up for the rising cost of living.
“My rent went up 8 per cent last year,” senior staff editor Andrea Zagata told the BBC. “So I guess my question is: What is a 2.8 per cent raise doing for me, especially when the company is spending so much on executive salary, stock buybacks and dividends?”
The Dec 8 walkout is part of a growing labour movement across the United States. Employees from companies such as Amazon, Starbucks and Apple have organised in an effort to push back against what they say are unfair labour practices. REUTERS
