New York Times tech worker strike stretches into Election Day
The New York Times woke up to Election Day with hundreds of its tech staffers still on strike on the most important news day of the year.
"We are back out on the picket line today," the Times Tech Guild wrote on X. "We know this is a hard day to be on strike for our members but we want to be clear: We are here because of the decisions of @NYTimes management."
The Tech Guild's 600 members, who control the back-end systems that power the paper's extensive digital operations, went on strike over not reaching a contract agreement after months of negotiations.
The strikers who spoke to Fox News Digital while demonstrating outside the New York Times building on Monday acknowledged the timing of the strike could imperil one of the most visited news sites of any American news outlet on the day the country chooses its next president.
STRIKING NY TIMES TECH WORKERS ‘DONE COMPROMISING’, AS STAFFERS SAY ELECTION COVERAGE IN JEOPARDY
"It’s our peak traffic, when we see the most people coming to The New York Times is during a presidential election, so that’s why months ago we gave management a deadline saying we wanted a contract by the election or we’re going on strike," Times software engineer Sarah Duncan said. "They wouldn’t give us what we were demanding, so we’ve already made enough compromises. We’re done compromising, so we’re out here until we get a fair contract."
The Times’ famous "Election Needle" showing the likelihood of Donald Trump or Kamala Harris winning the election could be jeopardized because of the walkout. Strikers have also encouraged Times readers and app users to not play games like Wordle or engage with the site in solidarity with their movement.
Some other Times newsroom members have also encouraged management to reach a deal to help them do their jobs. More than 750 Times journalists urged publisher A.G. Sulzberger and other Times brass to make a deal ahead of Election Day, the Washington Post reported.
"We can’t do our jobs without the Tech Guild," the pledge states. "Can you imagine if our election needle didn’t work, the app didn’t open or the homepage went down?"
According to the Times, negotiations went late into Sunday and there were still disagreements over issues like a "just cause" provision that would prevent termination for reasons unrelated to misconduct, as well as pay raises and return-to-office policies. Times management told workers on Sunday it had offered a 2.5% annual wage hike, a 5% pay increase minimum for promotions and a $1,000 ratification bonus.
Reached for comment, New York Times Company spokesperson Danielle Rhoades-Ha directed Fox News Digital to its previous statement expressing disappointment with the timing of the strike.
"We look forward to continuing to work with the Tech Guild to reach a fair contract that takes into account that they are already among the highest paid individual contributors in the Company and journalism is our top priority," spokesperson Rhoades-Ha said.
"We’re in one of the most consequential periods of coverage for our readers and have robust plans in place to ensure that we are able to fulfill our mission and serve our readers," she continued. "While we respect the union’s right to engage in protected actions, we're disappointed that colleagues would strike at this time, which is both unnecessary and at odds with our mission."
Fox News' Brian Flood, Hannah Lambert, Nikolas Lanum and Kendall Tietz contributed to this report.