Break my wordle streak? No way!

Amanda Chen and Michelle Mei |January 12, 2023

Throughout American history, The New York Times has played a large role in reporting events from big to small. Such reports include international news, for example, the World Cup and conflict around the world. So why are workers going on strike despite the NY Times’ big success? 

First, let’s backtrack. December 8th, 2022 marks the first major strike since the 1970s, pausing work and having more than 1000 workers participate in this 24-hour strike. The reason behind this strike is that neither the union nor the company was able to negotiate on salaries, starting pay, health, retirement policies, and remote work– in other words, “The NY Times failed to bargain.” Contrary to this, the NY Times’ profit is roughly estimated at $320 million to $330 million (Izadi). With these numbers reaching the millions, workers question the NY Times’ inability to share those profits, chanting, “We make the papers! We make the profits!”.

The workers, represented by the News Guild, have been working on these negotiations for roughly two years from now. Susan DeCarava, President of The NewsGuild of New York, says, “I hope Times management takes this opportunity to address our demands for livable wages, strong retirement benefits, and a workplace that corrects discriminatory practices, with a contract our members will approve” (The NewsGuild) The previous contract that demanded workers’ fair compensation has expired, causing many complications to come up. Unfortunately, both sides were unable to negotiate– leading to the 24-hour strike that would cause the NY Times’ progress for the day to falter. The union is filled with a variety of the company, including security guards, journalists, editors, etc.  

Many factors weigh in the demand for increased salaries. Firstly, living in New York City is not cheap, and with rates of inflation also increasing, many workers find themselves seeking second jobs to make ends meet. Although some argue that other media companies, such as CNN, have laid off workers and others are attempting to slow hiring and cut budget rates, the NY Times is in a position where they can meet these workers’ demands. The millions of dollars they make is due only to the hard work of their employees.

Time and time again we see workers constantly fighting for equality within the workplace. Especially in the twenty-first century, we’ve seen strikes continuously happen. One example would be when Starbucks employees organized strikes at stores in November. The strikes took place on the company’s special holiday, Red Cup Day. Many of the workers who participated sought better wages and proper staffing in one of the drink industry’s biggest companies (Durbin).

Another similar example would be the recent strike of airport workers rallying for an improvement in their working conditions. At Logan International Airport, Newark International Airport, and numerous other U.S. states, the protestors fought for a $15 minimum wage and better workplace benefits (Wille). 

Many strikes have occurred in workplaces for the prime reasons of better pay and workplace conditions. Without these, would it really be a proper job to continue? The creation of unions has established a sense of power for workers. The execution of union power has empowered many workers to fight against the unfair circumstances that stand in their workplaces. The recent New York Times strike is one concrete example of this power being used.

From our perspective, we agree that workers that strive for better pay and work circumstances deserve the benefits that come from work. People that have put in the time and effort to produce results in their workplace obviously would have to be paid back for their hard work. The New York Times strike was a result of people who were under-compensated for their professions.

All in all, it is clear that even in today’s society, there will be clear injustice in working environments. As a result, movements attended by workers will be started in order to bring proper work payment and compensation to the table.

 

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