New York Times staffers say election coverage could be derailed by tech strike
Fox News Digital spoke with New York Times employees about how the tech worker strike might impact coverage of the 2024 presidential election.
The New York Times Tech Guild remains on strike Thursday and the group has a mobile billboard circling the Gray Lady’s New York City headquarters accusing the paper’s top executives of union busting.
The Tech Guild's 600 members, who control the back-end systems that power the paper's extensive digital operations, went on strike at midnight Monday when they failed to reach a contract agreement. They are fighting for "just cause, fair pay and remote work protection," and have said they have been working on a deal with Times leadership for over two years, to no avail.
"In terms of bargaining, it’s in management’s court," a Guild spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Rotating mobile billboards meant to bring awareness to the Guild’s efforts directly called out Times CEO Meredith Kopit and Times CTO Jason Sobel. The guild said the billboard would be placed on trucks that circle the block throughout the day on Thursday.
HUNDREDS OF NEW YORK TIMES TECH STAFFERS GO ON STRIKE AHEAD OF ELECTION DAY
New York Times CEO Meredith Kopit has been targeted by the Tech Guild's 600 members.
New York Times CTO Jason Sobel has been accused of union busting by the Tech Guild.
Kopit, a regular target of the Guild, wants employees to "settle for crumbs" while she earned $10.3 million last year, according to the billboard. The Guild accused Sobel of attempting to "force remote tech workers back to the office" while he "works remotely from Silicon Valley" himself.
The New York Times did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A separate Guild source told Fox News Digital that they have not heard back from the company since their last counter-proposal on Sunday evening.
Some of the Times tech staffers have worked since the strike began, but Guild leadership has downplayed the significance of staffers crossing the line.
"Being part of our strike is not a requirement. People make their own choices. In any strike you’ll have some that are comfortable crossing the picket line. Each day this week we’ve had hundreds of our members out walking the line and that will continue," the Guild spokesperson said.
CEO Meredith Kopit wants employees to "settle for crumbs" while she earned $10.3 million last year, according to the Guild.
The Guild accused CTO Jason Sobel of attempting to "force remote tech workers back to the office" while he "works remotely from Silicon Valley" himself.
Meanwhile, the Tech Guild has received over $140,000 in donations from a GoFundMe fundraiser.
"Going on strike means we lose our paychecks for the duration of the strike. While this is an important sacrifice in order to win a fair contract, many of our union members will need financial assistance, particularly those who are the primary earners for their families. No one deserves to face financial hardship for taking action with their coworkers. Your donations will help us win this fight," Guild members wrote when seeking donations.
A Times spokesperson previously provided Fox News Digital with a statement about 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," the spokesperson 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," the statement 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."
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Fox News Digital’s Kendall Tietz and Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.
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