New York Times Guild

The New York Times Guild is the union of New York Times editorial, media, and tech professional workers, represented by NewsGuild since 1940. As of March 2022, the Times Tech Guild, is the largest tech union with collective bargaining rights in the United States.[1]

History

The Guild signed a contract in April 1941 for commercial department staff, and in August, was certified as the union for news and editorial workers.[2]

In 2012, Times workers won a 35-hour workweek with eligibility for overtime on the 36th hour and time-and-a-half on the 40th hour, though most union workers work more than 35 hours.[3]

After 19 months of negotiation, the Guild approved a contract in late 2012 through March 2016 including modest raises and bonuses, a new pension plan, and continues their existing health plan.[4] As of 2021, the editorial union contained over 3,000 reporters and media professionals.[5]

The union staged a one-day walkout in December 2022, their first in over 40 years,[6][7][8][9] while negotiating wages and other issues as part of their contract renewal. Their prior contract had expired in March 2021.[10]

In January 2022, the NewsGuild filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board accusing The New York Times Company of violating federal labor law by adding new paid days off to the company's holiday calendar exclusively for non-union workers,[11] and the New York Times Guild accused the company of making similar changes to the company's bereavement policy, making it applicable only to non-union workers, later the same month.[12][13]

In July 2023, the NewsGuild filed a grievance against The New York Times, accusing it of engaging in union-busting by announcing its intention to eliminate its sports section and to instead use non-union workers at The Athletic, which The New York Times acquired in 2022, to cover sports.[14][15]

Tech Guild

More than 600 tech workers of the Times announced their union as the Times Tech Guild in April 2021. Formed under NewsGuild, the union would include the newspaper's digital workers, including software developers, data analysts, designers,[5] and product managers. The Times declined to voluntarily recognize the union, sending the question to a formal vote facilitated by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).[16] On March 3, 2022, the tech workers voted 404 to 88 to certify the union. The bargaining unit is the largest American union of tech workers with bargaining rights. The Alphabet Workers Union is larger but is not recognized by the NLRB.[1]

During the union drive, NewsGuild filed an unfair labor practice claim in June 2021 in which the company told workers overseeing the work of interns that they were restricted from displaying union support. Reviewing the claim, the NLRB filed a complaint of interference in unionizing efforts, a violation of federal labor law. The case was scheduled to be heard in March 2022.[16]

In 2019, the New York Times Company voluntarily recognized a separate union representing tech workers at Wirecutter.[1]

Workers on strike in front of The New York Times Building on Election Day

In November 2024, one day before the 2024 US presidential election, the Times Tech Guild went on strike over issues the union said were related to "remote/hybrid work," "just cause" protections, and "pay equity/fair pay," and asked readers to honor their digital picket line by not playing NYT Games or using the NYT Cooking app.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b c Robertson, Katie (March 3, 2022). "New York Times Tech Workers Vote to Certify Union". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 13, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  2. ^ "'Times' Labor Board Case Is Ended by Stipulation: Guild to Withdraw Charges, Halting Court Action". New York Herald Tribune. October 15, 1941. p. 11. ProQuest 1259386414.
  3. ^ Byers, Dylan (March 28, 2012). "NY Times Guild members win their 35 hours". Politico. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  4. ^ Mirkinson, Jack (November 13, 2012). "NY Times Staffers Vote To Ratify New Contract". HuffPost. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Brandom, Russell (April 13, 2021). "Tech workers at The New York Times have formed a union". The Verge. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
  6. ^ Bruell, Alexandra (December 8, 2022). "New York Times Staffers to Stage First Strike in Over 40 Years Thursday". WSJ. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  7. ^ Bruell, Alexandra (December 8, 2022). "New York Times Staffers Go on One-Day Strike Amid Stalled Contract Talks". WSJ. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  8. ^ McCreesh, Shawn (December 8, 2022). "Just What Did the Times Walkout Change?". Intelligencer. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  9. ^ Malone, Clare (December 11, 2022). "The Economics at the Heart of the Times Union Standoff". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X.
  10. ^ Darcy, Oliver (December 7, 2022). "The New York Times is bracing for a historic mass walkout as union negotiations go down to the wire". CNN. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  11. ^ Klein, Charlotte (January 26, 2022). ""Juneteenth Is a Pretty Aggressive Holiday to Take Hostages With": 'NYT' Union Views New Holiday Schedule as Latest Union-Busting Bid". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on May 31, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  12. ^ Sainato, Michael (February 1, 2022). "Leaked messages reveal New York Times' aggressive anti-union strategy". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 8, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  13. ^ NYTimesGuild [@NYTimesGuild] (January 26, 2022). "Yesterday we filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge over the Times' use of holiday pay as a union-busting tactic. Today @nytimes ramped up these tactics by announcing a better bereavement leave policy for NON-UNION employees only, the week @nytguildtech ballots have gone out" (Tweet). Retrieved June 1, 2024 – via Twitter.
  14. ^ Clinkscales, Jason (July 22, 2023). "Union filing grievance over New York Times shuttering of sports desk". Yardbarker. Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  15. ^ Jones, Tom; Fu, Angela (July 21, 2023). "New York Times hit with grievance, grim layoff news at Hearst magazines, and other media links for your weekend". Poynter. Archived from the original on January 27, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Raymond, Nate (January 6, 2022). "New York Times interfered with union activism, U.S. labor agency alleges". Reuters.
  17. ^ Carpenter, Nicole (November 4, 2024). "Striking New York Times tech workers ask people not to play Wordle or other NYT games". Polygon. Archived from the original on November 4, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.

Further reading