New York

Tech employees at The New York Times have organised a half-day strike, protesting the publisher's unilateral push to bring them back to the office. The work stoppage commenced at 1 p.m. ET and saw nearly 700 workers participate in demonstrations conducted on Zoom and outside the newspaper's Manhattan headquarters. Some workers even donned Halloween costumes as part of their protest, an initiative led by the Times Tech Guild (TTG). 

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This strike comes in response to The New York Times issuing its return-to-office policy, a decision that predates the recognition of the tech guild, which occurred early last year. At that time, tech workers voted overwhelmingly, with a tally of 404-88, to join the NewsGuild of New York. This move bestowed bargaining rights upon TTG, establishing it as the largest tech union in the United States. 

For over a year, tech workers represented by the union have engaged in contract negotiations with The New York Times. The company's refusal to recognise their bargaining rights concerning return-to-office policies has spurred this demonstration. Kathy Zhang, unit chair for the guild that comprises software engineers and data analysts, described the situation as an attempt by the Times to intimidate the workforce. 

A spokesperson for the media organisation expressed the belief that flexibility, allowing employees to work both in the office and remotely, serves the interests of all involved parties. Additionally, the spokesperson asserted that the U.S. National Labour Relations Board had not ruled against their approach.  

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This statement came in response to a Bloomberg News report claiming that the agency's prosecutors had concluded that the company violated federal law by unilaterally implementing a return-to-office plan without negotiation with the union. In the absence of a resolution, a regional director of the agency is expected to file a complaint against The New York Times. 

(With inputs from Reuters) 

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