New York Times Journalists and Staffers on 24-Hour Strike After Union Negotiations Fail


New York Times journalists and staffers are on a 24-hour strike after union negotiations for new contracts failed.

Over 1,100 employees at the newspaper are estimated to be participating in the strike, which began on Thursday at midnight.

“It’s disappointing that they’re taking such drastic action, given the clear commitment we’ve shown to negotiate our way to a contract that provides Times journalists with substantial pay increases, market-leading benefits, and flexible working conditions,” Meredith Kopit Levien, president and chief executive of The Times, said in an email to the company Wednesday night, according to a report from CNN Business.

Kopit Levien added that the Times has “plans in place to ensure that we meet our obligation to our readers and the general public by reporting the news as fully as possible through any disruption caused by a strike.”

The report added that Joe Kahn, executive editor of The Times, wrote a note to staff saying, “We will produce a robust report on Thursday. But it will be harder than usual.”

CNN noted that “the union has asked The Times to meet in the middle on wage increases, but the newspaper believes the union started from an extreme position, making doing so a non-starter.”

Amanda Hess, a critic-at-large for the newspaper, urged people not to read the paper’s content during the strike.

National correspondent Dana Goldstein tweeted, “Today I walked off a job I love. I want NYT to be successful, & it is! With operating profit over $300 million, we’re asking for an additional $30-40 million in wage increases during a housing crisis in the world’s most expensive city. We have members who earn less than $50,000.”

The journalists and staff are represented by the NewsGuild of New York union, which said in a statement that the strike is “due to the company’s failure to bargain in good faith, reach a fair contract agreement with the workers, and meet their demands.”

The strike is the first one at the Gray Lady in decades.

Union members picketed outside the building on Thursday.

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