If anyone is looking for up-to-the-minute election results today/tonight, you should look elsewhere than the New York Times. After months of threats and negotiations, the Times’ tech workers union on Monday called for a full strike, and it has continued into Election Day. Over 600 workers are now out on the sidewalks picketing, and the paper is saddled with a massive distraction.
On the day when timely results and accurate data streams are important, it is not known just how much this will impact the Times’ coverage. These are the software engineers and others with tech expertise who are not part of the newsroom staff and are in a separate guild. The main operations may not be directly impacted but if any flaws or tech issues develop, it could deliver a bit of a crisis at the paper. But it is a bad look, regardless:
The threat to coverage appears to be serious, as the paper shared its worries about both providing its usual full coverage of the election in real time, as well as dealing with any potential tech issues throughout the night.
As with any strike we get fed the usual talking points, that workers simply want a living wage – because as we know, those in the tech sector rarely manage to make a living. (That’s sarcasm.) But there are also a list of petty and oddly specific demands that sound rather sophomoric. The paper has balked at the lengthy demands for two reasons, the primary issue being how much it will all cost.
Along with an increase in wages, the guild is also pushing for a number of other costly items. They are looking for a four-day work week, health care premiums to be fully covered for employees and family members, guaranteed grants for all IT workers, and guaranteed, annual bonuses. Times management has already resisted these proposals, as they say this will roughly add up to well over $30 million annually. Then, there are the entirely asinine list of demands.
Max Tani, at Semafor, got a hold of the strike proposal, and he listed off a number of the other items the guild is looking for in this newest contract discussion. These are things that would not only have negotiators leaving the table, but possibly lunging across it in order to smack around the lawyers and union leaders:
Management says that the Guild has bogged down negotiations with what the paper sees as outlandish, even illegal, proposals. The Guild proposed a ban on scented products in break rooms, unlimited sick time, and accommodations for pet bereavement, as well as mandatory trigger warnings in company meetings discussing events in the news.
What, no dental plan for their digital Tamagotchi creatures, or paid leave during any Comic-Con in the New England area?! This is where the media outlets find themselves these days, after years of tolerating and even coddling the newest generation of journalists. When you put up with staffers who are mewling about microaggressions in the workplace, and that certain opinions create an unsafe office environment, you will end up with these types of demands coming from those who are allegedly grownups.
The best thing for management to do is bring them back to the negotiation table and then go microwave a fish meal in a microwave. Anyone who contacts Human Resources because they “cannot even” will be summarily dismissed permanently, and you can then bring in actual adults who act like professionals. What’s the risk? They already are refusing to work.
