New York Times Holds One-Day Strike Today

Reporters won’t write stories or interview sources. Photojournalists will stay home. And if a spate of unsavory language breaks out in the online comments thread posted below a New York Times story, there might not be anyone on hand to delete it.

Photo Insert: Members of the New York Times Guild have said the walkout is the culmination of months of frustration over contract negotiations on a range of issues, particularly compensation.

That’s the expected scenario at the Times on Thursday (Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, in Manila), after more than 1,100 employees began a day-long work stoppage at midnight in one of the most dramatic labor disputes at the company in decades, Elahe Izadi reported for The Washington Post.

Members of the New York Times Guild — the union that covers about 1,400 Times workers, including non-newsroom departments such as advertising and security — have said the walkout is the culmination of months of frustration over contract negotiations on a range of issues, particularly compensation.

The previous employee contract expired in March 2021. In a letter to members this week, union organizers wrote that “we cannot get to a deal until the company makes wage and benefit proposals that truly share the company’s gains with its employees.”

They accused the company Wednesday evening of failing to “bargain in good faith.” Meredith Kopit Levien, the chief executive of the Times, called the walkout plans “disappointing” and a “drastic action.”

It is the first major walkout at the Times since 1981 — a work stoppage that lasted for just 6½ hours. In 2017, Times staffers staged a brief lunchtime walkout to protest staff cuts and other changes to copy-editing operations. The dispute comes as several media companies are laying off employees, citing a challenging economic environment.

The Times, though, is widely considered one of the industry’s rare success stories.

Executives said in their latest earnings call that they had grown the newsroom and projected a total adjusted operating profit of between $320 million and $330 million by the end of the year.

Some staffers argue that they should share more of the fruits of this recent success, after enduring stagnant wages and belt-tightening during leaner times for the company.

“That’s where it feels more than just a matter of disagreement on numbers, but really a slap in the face,” said film critic A.O. Scott. “We have devoted so much of our time, energy, work, and love to this paper, which seems unwilling to recognize or to reward that contribution.”

In negotiations earlier this week, the guild sought average pay raises of 5.5 percent in both 2023 and 2024, while the company countered with two years of 3 percent increases. The two sides also disagree on minimum salaries and how much to pay in retroactive bonuses that would cover the period since the old contract expired.

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