About one in six journalists in the US is affiliated with a union, according to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Centre. The NewsGuild of New York has almost 3,000 members, who work across verticals such as print, broadcast and digital media. Now 1,100 of their members, comprising mostly of New York Times employees, have gone on strike following the failure of negotiations about remote work and wages.
First strike in 40 years
The one day walkout is the first in four decades after 1981, and follows bargaining between the union and New York Times, that dragged on since March 2021. The negotiations for fairer terms had started right after the previous contract expired, and the last round of talks went on for more than 12 hours. The union NewsGuild has said that while they were willing to continue for as long as it took to seal a deal, the management left the table five hours before the meeting was supposed to end.
Management disappointed
The New York Times management on the other hand called the strike an extreme action, and expressed their disappointment. The union is planning a rally outside the organisation’s office near New York’s iconic Times Square. In the face of the walkout, New York Times conveyed that it is prepared to make sure that reader experience isn’t affected by the developments.
Employees vulnerable across the board
This action by workers at New York Times comes amidst a wave of layoffs which has left employees in tech and other sectors vulnerable. In India, Hindi news channel Zee Hindustan shut down, leaving 300 journalists and other employees jobless. India slipping from 142 to 150 in the global press freedom rankings, also highlighted the need for a stronger union in the sector to protect interests of media employees.
