• First 24-hour strike at The New York Times in more than 40 years.
• They were tired of bargaining since their last contract expired in March 2021.
• More than 1,100 employees will begin a 24-hour strike at 12:01am Thursday.

First 24-hour strike at The New York Times in more than 40 years.

Newsroom personnel and other members of The NewsGuild of New York, the union for news professionals in the U.S. media capital, claimed they were tired of bargaining since their last contract expired in March 2021.

More than 1,100 employees will begin a 24-hour strike at 12:01am Thursday [05:01 GMT] unless the two parties reach a contract agreement.

The NewsGuild tweeted Thursday morning that workers “are now on strike, the first of this scale at the corporation in 40 years.”

“It’s never easy to deny work you love, but our members are eager to do what it takes,” it stated.

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent negotiating wage increases and remote-work policies.

The union tweeted Wednesday evening that no settlement had been reached and the walkout will begin. We were ready to work as long as it took to get a fair arrangement, but management left with five hours left.

The union stated, “We know our worth.”

Danielle Rhoades Ha, a New York Times spokesperson, said they were in negotiations when alerted about the strike.

“It’s frustrating they’re taking such severe action when we’re not at a standstill,” she remarked.

Uncertain how Thursday’s coverage will be affected, but strike sympathizers include members of the digital paper’s live news desk.

Employees planned a gathering near Times Square that afternoon.

Rhoades Ha told the AP the company has “strong plans” to continue generating content, including using international correspondents and non-union journalists.

Deputy Managing Editor Cliff Levy sent an email to guild-represented personnel Tuesday night calling the strike “puzzling” and “unsettling.”

It would be the bargaining unit’s first strike since 1981, despite the company’s efforts to make headway.

In a statement signed by more than 1,000 employees, the NewsGuild said management has been “dragging its heels” bargaining for over two years and “time is running out to reach a fair contract” this year.

The NewsGuild alleged the corporation told strikers they wouldn’t get paid. The union asked members to work extra hours before the strike.

In recent years, The New York Times has experienced shorter walkouts, including a half-day protest in August by computer workers protesting unfair labor practices.

In a notable milestone, the business retracted its intention to replace an adjustable pension plan with an upgraded plan.

The Times proposed letting the union choose. The corporation expanded fertility benefits.

Levy said the corporation has pledged to raise wages 5.5% upon contract ratification, then 3% in 2023 and 2024. The expired deal called for 2.2% yearly increments.

Stacy Cowley, a finance reporter and union rep, said the union wants 10% pay raises upon ratification to make up for earlier raises.

She said the union wants the contract to allow some staff to work remotely if their duties allow it, but the firm wants the authority to recall them full-time.

Cowley said the Times requires its personnel to work three days a week, but many have been absent in protest.

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