Over 1,000 Workers Staging Walkout From One Of The Most Esteemed News Publications
Journalists of the New York Times are preparing to go on strike after over a year and a half of unresolved contract negations. The strike would include over 1,000 union staff and take place as a full 24-hour strike. The strike would leave the paper without as much as 90% of its staff in some departments.
A strike of this magnitude has not occurred at the New York Times since the 1970s. The current employees are fed up and are willing and ready to stand in solidarity for a fair contract deal. The employees and the union that represents them, NewsGuild, are hoping to receive a more reasonable wage.
The New York Times and the NewsGuild have gone back and forth in contract negotiations for nearly two years, and enough is enough. Employees are beyond fed up with the situation. As the New York Times caught wind of the possible strike, they frantically began working on landing a deal but have yet to do so.
If the company happens to reach a deal that all parties agree on, the New York Times employees may not go on strike. This situation is highly unlikely as they have been in negotiations for such a long period of time before the possibility of the strike happening. The news outlet is preparing for the likelihood that they will be without over 1,000 employees for 24 hours.
In preparation, the New York Times is pushing deadlines and handling the situation like they would in preparation for a holiday where most employees are off. The company has also threatened their employees with a soft of blackmail. They made it abundantly clear that employees would not be paid during the strike or be able to use any vacation or sick time to account for their absence.
The management team at the New York Times is scrambling to find stories to fill the paper during the time of the planned strike. The company has also expressed disappointment in the situation and said they they just want to ensure that readers get their news stories without any interruption. While keeping customers happy is necessary, the Times seems to be missing the point of the whole strike.
The New York Times workers are obviously not happy, thus their reason for going on strike. Instead of giving them proper and fair treatment, it seems as though the company is going in the opposite direction. Increasing workload, threatening no payment, and going to other lengths is not going to work to make employees feel valued and happy.
One worker from the New York Times has said they have been with the company for nearly a quarter of a century, working for the company the majority of their adult life. The employee is said to have stuck with the company through hard times and worked to contribute to the company’s survival when things didn’t look so bright. After so many dedicated years, the employee, and all employees, are ready to be compensated fairly.
