The NewsGuild, the umbrella union representing several worker organizations inside The New York Times, has filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the paper, alleging management interrogated workers over their intentions to strike.
According to the complaint, filed with the National Labor Relations Board, the NewsGuild alleges that Times management has conducted over 20 individual meetings with members of the Tech Guild to ask if they supported a strike against the paper.
The complaint claims that during these meetings, management informed Tech Guild members that they weren’t required to strike and they wouldn’t be paid if they participated in a work stoppage.
The New York Times said it hasn’t received a copy of the complaint from the NewsGuild or the NLRB.
“We look forward to continuing to work with Tech Guild to reach a fair contract that takes into account that they are already among the highest paid individual contributors in the company and journalism is our top priority,” a New York Times spokesperson said.
This week’s complaint further strains the fraught relationship between Times leadership and the Tech Guild. The Tech Guild, a union of data engineers and scientists at the NYT, was formed in 2022 and has been in contract negotiations with the paper for over two years.
The union authorized a strike last month after contract negotiations stalled. Since then, other unions represented by the NewsGuild have come out in support of the Tech Guild, including members of Wirecutter and the Times Guild.
During negotiations, the Tech Guild has demanded improved wages and changes to the Times’ remote work policy. According to Times management, the average total compensation for a member of the Tech Guild is $190,000, $40,000 more on average than a member of the Times Guild.
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