More than 1,000 New York Times employees walked off the job Thursday after negotiations over a new labor contract broke down, marking the first Gray Lady layoff in decades.
Times employees who are members of the New York NewsGuild, including reporters, editors and photographers, held signs and handed out leaflets to passers-by outside the newspaper’s offices in midtown Manhattan.
However, two prominent Times reporters refused to participate in the 24-hour work stoppage, according to the report.
The Gray Lady’s chief White House correspondent, Peter Baker, and Pulitzer Prize-winning White House correspondent Michael Shear declined to join their brethren. According to the semaphore.
When contacted by the Post, Baker and Shear declined to comment.
The Times website was still being updated by editorial staff Thursday when it published a story about the US-Russia prisoner swap that freed WNBA star Brittney Griner.
The story About Griner release written by Shear and Baker.
Last year, Shear signed a letter written by several award-winning Times journalists — including Maggie Haberman, Jodi Cantor and Megan Tweighey — calling for union dues for members of the New York NewsGuild who earn more than $140,000 a year. protested the decision to increase. According to The Daily Beast.
Last week, some Times editors began learning the basics of web and print operations in anticipation of layoffs, according to Semaphore.
Times executive editor Joe Kahn said in an email to the newsroom that Thursday’s report would be “robust” but that it would be “more difficult than usual” to prepare, the paper wrote in its story about the strike.
Union workers walked off the job — the first walkout at the newspaper in 40 years — after negotiations between the union and management failed to reach an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. Highlights revolve around annual raises, as well as health and retirement benefits.
The union is demanding an 8% annual increase from management for the duration of the new contract, citing growing subscription numbers.
The two sides are at loggerheads over issues such as telecommuting policies and the company’s employee evaluation system.
Shares of The New York Times Company were down 1 percent as of 2:00 PM ET on Thursday.
NewsGuild said via Twitter that “management walked away from the table with five hours left before the planned strike.”
“It’s never an easy decision to give up doing what you love, but our members are willing to do what it takes to have a better newsroom for everyone,” The NewsGuild tweeted. . “We know what we deserve.”
In a statement, New York Times spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades said the parties were still negotiating when the company was told the strike was coming.
“It’s sad that they’re taking such extreme action when we’re not at an impasse,” he said.
The Times, which has grown its subscriber base in recent years, forecast an adjusted operating profit of $320 million to $330 million for 2022 in its latest earnings report.
However, Times Chief Executive Meredith Kopit Levien said in a company-wide email that revenue is still not what it was a decade ago, the Times reported.
With post wires
.