new york-The New York Times' tech workers' strike entered its second day on Tuesday, with hundreds of staffers picketing and calling for fair contracts, the first in a year for the country's largest newspaper. The question remained: how can the most important news day be covered digitally?
“We want to get back to work, but the companies aren't really offering us contracts that fairly represent the work we do every election,” said a Times engineer. Tech Guild member Jeff Sisson told FOX News Digital outside the company's headquarters building. Tuesday.
The Tech Guild's 600 members control the back-end systems that power the paper's extensive digital operations. went on strike late Monday night When a contract agreement cannot be reached.
Multiple union members told FOX News Digital that they have been working on an agreement with Times leadership for more than two years, and that the paper will not be available on Election Night as Americans choose between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris for president. He said it is unclear what the website will look like.
New York Times staff concerned paper's 'washing' coverage wasn't hard enough for Trump: Report
During the strike, The Times' famous election needle, which shows a candidate's chances of victory based on current numbers and future projections, will be published on the site as the technology team is responsible for the necessary infrastructure and data. It may not be possible.
Members of the New York Times news department went on strike in solidarity with technology workers on Election Day 2024. (Fox News Digital)
On Tuesday night, the News Guild union Posted on X: “No contract, no needle.'' Chief political analyst Nate Cohn also suggested the needle could disappear early in the day.
Goran Svorkan-Merolla, a senior software engineer at the Times and a member of the technical union bargaining committee, said he was very hopeful that he and his fellow union members could reach an agreement before the election.
“We made an offer to management on Sunday, but we didn't hear anything back, and we haven't heard anything since,” he said. “We would like to see them back at the table, but there is nothing yet. Their recent counters against us are seriously concerning.”
“I'm sure they're talking to someone, but it's not us,” he added.
Members also told Fox News Digital that they intend to continue their strike past Election Day until an agreement is reached, but Svorkan-Merolla reiterated that they are open to negotiations at any time.
Mr Svorkan-Merolla said the decision to strike was not taken lightly, giving management enough time to reach an agreement ahead of this week, despite the election week deadline.
“I would have liked to have given management more time to reach an agreement, but elections are a time of extreme stress for members,” he said. “We want to show that this is an important night for our workers and an important night for our work. If you want to get us there, we've got to get a fair deal. No need.”
Sisson, the Times' chief engineer for storytelling and publishing, said the strike was “not by choice,” adding that he doesn't know what the website will look like on election night.
Hundreds of New York Times tech workers go on strike ahead of Election Day
New York Times technology strike poster. (Fox News Digital)
“It's a big mystery,” he said. “No one knows. I think my colleagues and I are well aware of that risk. Like I said, we didn't want things to get to this point. I can't predict what will happen at all.”
But it could be business as usual, Sisson said.
“I think this mystery is part of the risk here,” he said. “This is a way we're not used to running elections. I've worked here and covered probably three presidential elections. Suffice it to say this is not a typical election for us. And we are very aware of that.” ”
Sisson and his colleagues said they are seeking fair pay, flexibility regarding remote work, and protection from termination through a “just cause” clause in News Guild members' contracts.
“Some of this shows they think they can do the job without us, but we're all trying to find out exactly what election night will be like. “Election night is one of the biggest nights of the year for America,” he said, as reported by the New York Times.
Times business reporter Stacey Cowley said the tech guild is fighting for many of the protections that have been given to the news guild for generations.
“The Tech Guild has been fighting for that for two and a half years, and for two and a half years the company has refused to give them the exact same job protections that we have always had in our contracts.” she said. Said. “That's really disrespectful.”
New York Times plagiarism consultant admits Harris scandal was 'more serious' than expected
New York Times staff speaks to employees about the ongoing strike. (Fox News Digital)
Cawley said their strike is not about minor demands, as the Times has touted in public comment.
“I also think it's a very cynical and malicious point that management keeps talking about things like pet bereavement leave and unscented products in the bathroom,” a typical request by guild members. She said there were reports of some outlandish demands that went beyond such as higher salaries. “These were things that were on the table for a very short period of time, about five minutes of negotiation time, and then they were withdrawn and taken off the table for over a year. You keep hitting those dots to look away.’ I don’t want to talk about it. ”
Mr Cowley also criticized the paper's management for its “hypocritical” stance, given the paper's previous pro-union stance in reporting and editorial.
“I think it's really unfortunate that they let things go this far because, again, our engineers voted to authorize a strike on September 10th. “We did it on purpose two months in advance with the idea that it would give us time to actually go on strike.'The deal was done,” she said.
“Many of my colleagues are quite distressed to see this kind of activity here today,” she added. “I mean, a lot of our employees have spent years building the systems, building the graphics, building the tools we have today. They're really excited to be working in the newsroom on Election Day. Ta.”
A New York Times spokesperson issued the same statement to Fox News Digital the day before, expressing disappointment with the timing of the strike.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“We will continue to work with the Tech Guild to reach a fair contract that takes into account that they are already the highest-paid individual contributors in the company and that journalism is our top priority. We're looking forward to it,” the spokesperson said. “We are currently in the most important reporting period for our readers, and we have solid plans in place to ensure we can fulfill our mission and serve our readers.
“While we respect our union's right to engage in protected activities, we are disappointed that our colleagues would go on strike during this time. This is unnecessary and contrary to our mission. It’s a thing.”
