Strike after 41 Years... No Compromise Reached in Wage Negotiations
Newspaper Published Normally by Mobilizing Non-Union Members and Strike Non-Participants
On the 8th (local time), New York Times union members held a picket protest in front of the New York Times building in Manhattan, New York City, USA. Photo by Reuters·Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] "Raise our salaries, not lunch boxes!"
On the 8th (local time), such a slogan echoed in front of The New York Times (NYT) building in Manhattan, New York City, USA. Those shouting the slogan were NYT reporters and staff. After 20 months of stalled wage negotiations without reaching a compromise, they went on strike for one day on the 8th. This is the first time in 41 years since 1981 that NYT reporters have gone on strike.
The NYT union, which went on strike that day, includes 1,450 members, including 1,270 newsroom reporters. There are more than 1,800 NYT reporters worldwide. More than 1,100 union members participated in the 24-hour strike, so NYT had to produce the newspaper under difficult conditions with most reporters not working. Joe Kahn, NYT editor-in-chief, criticized the union's strike decision, saying, "Strikes usually occur when talks reach a deadlock, but we are not at that point yet." The management mobilized non-union and strike-absent employees to publish the newspaper normally on the 8th.
Dozens of union members held a picket protest in front of the NYT building entrance on the afternoon of the 8th. Protesters held signs reading "New York Times Strike" and used megaphones to shout slogans such as "Raise our salaries." Stacy Cowley, NYT business reporter and union chairperson, said, "No one among us wants to fight this kind of battle with a company we deeply believe in."
Since the previous labor agreement expired in March last year, NYT management and the union have been negotiating mainly on wages, retirement benefits, and other perks, but they have yet to reach an agreement on several items, including the scale of wage increases over the next four years. An unnamed strike participant said, "Like all my colleagues, I have had to watch the value of my salary decline as inflation worsens. I really like working here. What I want is to resolve this issue and reach a fair contract."
The NYT union demands a 10% wage increase, considering the raises not received over the past two years, while management has proposed only a 5.5% increase, with 3% raises in 2023 and 2024 respectively. The annual wage increase rate in the labor agreement that expired in March last year was 2.2%. In response, the journalists' union, NewsGuild, issued a statement criticizing, "Their (management's) wage proposal falls far below the inflation rate and the average wage increase rate in the U.S., completely ignoring the economic situation." Additionally, the NYT union wants a contract guaranteeing remote work where possible depending on the assigned duties, but management wants the right to summon employees to work full-time in the office, showing a significant gap between the two sides.
The worsening inflation and economic recession in the U.S. have also affected the newspaper industry. Last month, more than 200 employees of Gannett Co., which publishes over 100 daily newspapers including USA Today, held a one-day strike to protest layoffs and unpaid leave. The company cut 400 employees in August and implemented unpaid leave and voluntary retirement offers in October.
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