The New York Times Guild is the
union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
of ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' editorial, media, and tech professional workers, represented by
NewsGuild since 1940. , the Times Tech Guild, is the largest
tech union with
collective bargaining
Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and rights for workers. The ...
rights in the United States.
Guild
The Guild signed a contract in April 1941 for commercial department staff, and in August, was certified as the union for news and editorial workers.
''Times'' workers have a 35-hour week with eligibility for overtime on the 36th hour and time-and-a-half on the 40th hour. Most union workers work more than 35 hours.
After 19 months of negotiation, the Guild approved a contract in late 2012 through March 2016 including modest raises and bonuses, a new pension plan, and continues their existing health plan. As of 2021, the editorial union contained over 3,000 reporters and media professionals.
The union staged a one-day walkout in December 2022, their first in over 40 years, while negotiating wages and other issues as part of their contract renewal. Their prior contract had expired in March 2021.
Tech
More than 600 tech workers of the ''Times'' announced their union as the Times Tech Guild in April 2021. Formed under NewsGuild, the union would include the newspaper's digital workers, including software developers, data analysts, designers,
and product managers. The ''Times'' declined to
voluntarily recognize the union, sending the question to a formal vote facilitated by the
National Labor Relations Board
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is an independent agency of the federal government of the United States with responsibilities for enforcing U.S. labor law in relation to collective bargaining and unfair labor practices. Under the Na ...
(NLRB).
On March 3, 2022, the tech workers voted 404 to 88 to certify the union. The bargaining unit is the largest American union of tech workers with bargaining rights. The
Alphabet Workers Union
Alphabet Workers Union (AWU), also informally referred to as the Google Union, is a trade union of workers employed at Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company, with a membership of over 800, in a company with 130,000 employees, not including temps, ...
is larger but is not recognized by the NLRB.
During the union drive, NewsGuild filed an
unfair labor practice
An unfair labor practice (ULP) in United States labor law refers to certain actions taken by employers or unions that violate the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (49 Stat. 449) (also known as the NLRA and the Wagner Act after NY Senator Ro ...
claim in June 2021 in which the company told workers overseeing the work of interns that they were restricted from displaying union support. Reviewing the claim, the NLRB filed a complaint of interference in unionizing efforts, a violation of federal labor law. The case will be heard in March 2022.
In 2019, the New York Times Company voluntarily recognized a separate union representing tech workers at ''
Wirecutter''.
References
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External links
* {{official website, https://nytimesguild.org
Trade unions in the United States
Trade unions established in 1941
Trade unions established in 2021
The New York Times
Labor relations by company
Tech sector trade unions
Journalists' trade unions