THE NEW YORK TIMES CONTINUES TO REFUSE WORKERS’ DEMANDS AS UNION ANNOUNCES FURTHER WALK OUT DETAILS

For immediate release: December 6, 2022 

THE NEW YORK TIMES CONTINUES TO REFUSE WORKERS’ DEMANDS AS UNION ANNOUNCES FURTHER WALK OUT DETAILS 

The company has refused to meet for additional marathon negotiating sessions to reach a contract by Thursday, a demand workers made last week with the walk-out pledge 

Over 400 New York Times Tech members also represented by the NewsGuild of New York have sent a petition to management announcing their intent to walk out for one hour in solidarity

Workers announced public rally details and picket information for the day of the walk out

NEW YORK — Workers at the New York Times returned to the bargaining table Tuesday for the first bargaining session with the company following the announcement of their walk-out pledge, which was signed by more than 1,100 members of the unit, with a number of signatures coming in after the workers took the pledge public. Today’s bargaining was a planned session; the company has otherwise refused to enter into additional marathon bargaining, which the members requested in their letter to CEO Meredith Kopit Levien and Publisher A.G. Sulzberger as a way to reach a decision on a contract before their planned one-day walkout on Thursday, December 8. 

Times Guild members, represented by The NewsGuild of New York, announced further walkout and public rally details tonight at a membership Town Hall. Unless the company changes their tune and a deal is reached before Thursday, the work stoppage will officially start from midnight on December 8th and go for 24 hours. At 1 PM on Thursday, December 8, the Guild is inviting members, other unions, and the greater public to a solidarity rally outside of the New York Times building, where members of the unit including reporter and Unit Council member Nikole Hannah-Jones, reporter and Local Chair Jenny Vrentas, and editor Tom Coffey will speak.

“We know that our readers are best served when our workplace is equitable and the people who make The New York Times are paid fairly,” said Jenny Vrentas, Sports Reporter, New York Times. “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.”

The major sticking points continue to be around economics, especially wages, a $65,000 salary floor proposed by the Guild, and funding employees' health insurance sustainably. The company has frequently misrepresented its own proposals to the public and the press, especially by claiming "increases" in compensation that are really unspoken hypotheticals neither side recognizes as possible outcomes of bargaining.

The Times Guild represents journalists, as well as ad sales workers, comment moderators, news assistants, security guards, and staffers at The Times Center, the venue and virtual production studio. All workers who signed the walkout pledge are anticipated to participate in the one-day work stoppage, with some major desks losing 90% of their workforce that day, and other departments being essentially empty of Guild employees. 

“I've worked at the New York Times for almost 23 years—most of my adult life. It's not just my job: the values and principles of the paper are part of who I am, and I know the same is true for many of my coworkers. In hard times, we were willing to sacrifice to ensure the paper's survival, and we push ourselves and one another every day to make sure the Times lives up to its highest ideals,” said A.O. Scott, Chief Film Critic, New York Times. “That's why it's so dismaying to see our concerns and aspirations treated so dismissively by management, and our contributions disrespected. Stepping away from my work isn't something I take lightly—I care about it too much for that. But I'd like to believe that the Times cares about it too, and about all the hard work that makes the daily miracle possible.” 

Additionally, Tuesday afternoon, 400 New York Times Tech Guild members sent a letter to the company stating they will be participating in a collective lunch break in support of the Times Guild members, sharing similar struggles they’ve faced at the bargaining table. “We’ve put in countless hours to draft good faith proposals & ensure transparency. Management has responded with the bare minimum and engaged in a pattern of disrespect towards our collective rights,” read the statement from the New York Times Tech Guild. 

Newsroom employees at The New York Times have been represented by The NewsGuild of New York since 1941. This would be the first full day work stoppage since the late 70s. A brief lunch time walkout in 2017 halted around 300 potential layoffs.    

“Guild members at The New York Times are determined to ensure that, through collective action, the company lives up to its mission when it comes to all the workers responsible for its meteoric success during the past several years,” said Susan DeCarava, President, NewsGuild of New York. “The New York Times, which has not seen a work stoppage of this scale since the ‘70s, is on notice. Our members understand the value of their labor, and it's time for Times management to demonstrate the same.” 

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