The Times Tech Guild, which represents approximately 600 software engineers and other non-editorial tech employees at the newspaper, authorized the strike last week. This move is seen as a strategic one by the union, as it is set to take place on Election Day, a period of peak activity and importance for the media industry. According to The Post Millennial, the tech union has been grappling with contract negotiations for the past two years, with a host of demands that have yet to be met.
These demands include mandatory trigger warnings for news events, a prohibition on scented products in break rooms, a four-day work week, unlimited sick leave, job security for non-citizens on work visas in the event of layoffs, and pet bereavement leave. AG Sulzberger, Chairman of the New York Times, has expressed concern over the financial implications of these demands. He revealed to Semafor that the guild's economic demands would cost the company over $100 million in compensation and benefits over the proposed three-year contract.
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The Tech Guild's members currently receive an average annual salary of $190,000, which includes salary, bonuses, and restricted stock options. This figure is roughly $40,000 more than the average salary of their colleagues in unions representing journalists at the publication. The Times has also highlighted that it already provides employees with certain benefits that are uncommon in most organizations, such as $10,000 reimbursements for adoption or surrogacy expenses, $50,000 for fertility care, and discounts on pet, home, and auto insurance.
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In a statement to the New York Post on Tuesday, Danielle Rhoads Ha, a spokesperson for the New York Times, expressed the company's willingness to negotiate a fair contract. She noted that the tech workers are already among the highest paid in the company and emphasized that journalism remains their top priority.
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Rhoads Ha further stated, "Since July 2022, bargaining has been focusing on a broad range of non-economic proposals from the Tech Guild such as pet bereavement leave, unscented cleaning products, and banning machine learning among many other topics that are typically not part of the collective bargaining agreements." The outcome of these negotiations remains to be seen, but it is clear that the potential strike could have significant implications for the media giant.
