NY Times Braces for Walkout, Depleted Newsroom

More than 1,000 unionized journalists at The New York Times pledged to walk out Thursday over wage issues.

A strike would mean a staggering loss of 90% of the newspaper's workforce, according to the NewsGuild of New York, which represents journalists and other staffers at the Times, reports CNN.

"While they could have been focusing on bargaining, @nytimes is focused on preparing to minimize the impact of a walkout rather than putting in a good-faith effort to avoid one," The New York Times Guild wrote in a statement published on Twitter this week, claiming members of the union "are being directed to work extra hours ahead of Thursday to ensure work gets done."

"To add insult to injury, the company announced they plan to dock pay for members who participate in the walkout," the guild said.

The main sticking points for workers are wages that keep pace with inflation, as well as healthcare and retirement benefits.

According to a press release from The NewsGuild of New York, the Times' management is offering 2.75% average annual guaranteed base-pay raises, despite annual compensation increases of 32.3% for the company's top three executives from 2020-21.

The historic stoppage would be the first at the "paper of record" since the late 1970s.

The Times in a statement to the Hill said it was "prepared to ensure The Times continues to serve our readers without disruption.

"We remain committed to working with the NYT NewsGuild to reach a contract that we can all be proud of.

"Our current wage proposal offers significant increases. The majority of members of the bargaining unit would earn 50 percent or more in additional earnings over the life of the new contract than they would have if the old contract had continued. Moreover, our accompanying medical and retirement proposals offer sustainable, best-in-class options for Guild members."

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