New York Times tech staff on strike amid US elections
The technology team at The New York Times, one of the leading US newspapers, has gone on a strike on the eve of the presidential elections. This move could affect the media outlet's coverage of the 2024 presidential race. The strike was launched just after midnight today, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Demands and potential impact on election coverage
The tech guild's demands include fair remuneration, the option for remote work, and enhanced worker protections. If this strike continues until tomorrow, it will be the first such disruption during a presidential election in six decades. In a statement to The New York Post, the spokesperson said "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."
Protest plans and union's appeal to readers
The tech guild intends to hold daily protests outside the company's headquarters starting 9:00am (local time) on Monday. The union had voted in favor of authorizing this strike on September 10. In solidarity with the striking workers, the union has urged readers of The New York Times to avoid using the company's popular games such as Wordle or the cooking app, The Journal reported.
Union president expresses disappointment over contract negotiations
Susan DeCarava, President of the NewsGuild labor union, expressed her disappointment over the protracted contract negotiations. She said they had been warning for weeks and had cleared their schedules to finalize this contract before the election week deadline. DeCarava further criticized The New York Times for risking its election coverage rather than agreeing to a fair and just contract.
Tech guild's role in The New York Times's operations
The tech guild includes more than 600 members who are part of the company's engineering, product, design, data, and project management departments. Of these, over 400 are engineers. Their absence raises fears that the strike could affect the news site's Election Day coverage. Without tech staffers' support, The New York Times could struggle with bug fixes and updating content across some of its specialized election coverage tools.
