New York Times poised for first mass staff walkout in 40 years
GuardianDec 24, 2022
The Facts
In the first strike of its kind in 40 years, hundreds of New York Times journalists and other employees — members of The NewsGuild of New York union — began a 24-hour walkout at midnight Thursday after negotiations with the newspaper stalled Wednesday night.
After nearly two years of negotiations, union members said last week that roughly 1.1k employees would walk out if a deal wasn't made by Thursday. The NYT has so far offered an immediate pay raise of 5.5%, followed by 3% increases in 2023 and 2024.
The Spin
Narrative A
There is a simple solution for the Times here, which is to keep its employees' pay at par with inflation. This negotiation has gone on for almost two years while salaries have stayed the same. Not only do the workers know their worth, but that worth is statistically provable.
Narrative B
This strike is largely symbolic. Newspaper unions don't carry the same clout they did before the digital age, and they know it. This strike may bring attention to the cause, but will do little to sway management or impact negotiations.
Cynical narrative
Just like the entire for-profit print media industry, this contract negotiation is a circus. Newspapers have been dying for the past 25 years, with few people actually still caring about or even believing what they write. The NYT, along with the rest of corporate media, will inevitably perish once the wealthy remove the life support they've been providing for so long.
