New York Times Braces for One-Day Strike for First Time in Over 40 Years

The newspaper's staffers signed a pledge not to work for one day on Thursday unless a contract deal is reached between the union and the employers, according to its newsroom union.

The contract between The Times and The New York Times Guild expired in March 2021, and about 40 bargaining sessions have been held since.

Negotiations lasted for more than 12 hours into late Tuesday and continued on Wednesday, but the two sides remained far apart on issues including salaries, remote-work policies, and health and retirement benefits.

The union finally announced via Twitter on Wednesday evening that a deal had not been reached and the walkout will take place.

“We were ready to work for as long as it took to reach a fair deal,” it said, “but management walked away from the table with five hours to go.”

“We know what we’re worth,” the union added.

The union accused The Times of bargaining in bad faith. “Their wage proposal still fails to meet the economic moment, lagging far behind both inflation and the average rate of wage gains in the US,” the union said.

The union negotiating the contract represents about 1,450 employees in the newsroom, advertising, and other areas of The New York Times company. More than 1,800 people work in The Times’s newsroom.