The New York Times Tech Guild returned to work on Tuesday Nov. 12 following a weeklong strike that started just before Election Day. The Guild, representing more than 600 employees, says the strike affected the Times’ digital coverage of the election, with workers walking out to protest for better contract terms.
In a statement, the Tech Guild announced that its members would “march into the office together in the morning as a symbol of what’s to come for The Times.”
The guild’s chair, Kathy Zhang, noted that the work stoppage caused some issues on Election Day, including the unavailability of certain vote-tracking tools and slower app and website performance.
The guild had also requested that readers avoid the Times’ daily puzzle games and cooking app during the strike. Instead, they directed users to alternate games made by striking workers on an independent website. Now that the strike has ended, the guild has lifted that request.
A Times spokesperson said that despite the strike, the Times had “the smoothest site performance during an election ever,” crediting the months of preparation work by Tech Guild members and other staff. The spokesperson also said the company looks forward to continuing negotiations with the guild.
The guild plans to continue negotiating with the Times for a fair contract, with Zhang saying the disruption underscored the importance of the work done by the tech team.
The Times, meanwhile, emphasized that its focus remains on journalism and serving its readers, while noting that guild members are among the highest-paid contributors in the company.
