Encourage Participation in NYT Tech Workers' Strike by Pausing Your Wordle Sequence
The New York Times' tech team is currently engaging in a strike and they're appealing to readers for assistance in this matter. They suggest abstaining from playing Wordle or solving the crossword puzzle during this period. The Times Tech Guild represents over 600 tech employees who contribute significantly to The Times' digital dominance.
The Times, renowned for its journalism, also operates as a tech company. Its strategic transition to digital preservation has been instrumental in its survival when many other news organizations have faltered. Games such as Wordle, Spelling Bee, Connections, and the Crossword attract a massive audience to The Times. The NYT Cooking App is a crowd-pleaser and a substantial revenue generator.
However, these digital endeavors necessitate a substantial amount of technical support. In 2022, The Times' tech workers banded together and formed a union, commencing negotiations with management thereafter. In September, they suggested a potential strike, indicating that it would occur around the election period. According to the Tech Guild, the primary issues of contention are: return-to-office mandates, limits on subcontracting, remuneration and equality, and guaranteed job security. The workers are advocating for a contract provision that ensures employees can only be terminated due to misconduct or similar reasons.
Susan DeCarava, president of The NewsGuild of New York, expressed concerns in a statement: "We've been sounding the alarm for weeks and have arranged our schedules to finalize the contract before the election week deadline. Regrettably, the Times is willing to jeopardize its election coverage rather than agree to a fair and just contract. We stand prepared for negotiations and anticipate reaching an agreement that our members at Times Tech Guild will affirm."
Choosing to strike the day before the election is a strategic maneuver aimed at exerting maximum pressure on the paper when its readership is at its peak. The "election needle," an iconic feature of The Times' coverage, relies on the support of the backend tech team. "We have meticulous plans in place to ensure we can fulfill our mission and serve our subscribers," a Times spokesperson stated to The Washington Post fame, as the threat of the strike loomed.
Kathy Zhang, a Tech Guild unit chair and a senior analytics manager at The New York Times, issued a statement regarding the strike: "Our union members and bargaining committee have made every effort to prevent this unfair labor practice (ULP) strike. However, management is more inclined to risk our election coverage than to reach a fair agreement with its employees. This leaves us no alternative but to exhibit our labor power on the picket line. Yet, we remain open to negotiations to finalize the contract."
The Tech Guild has appealed to readers to avoid crossing the digital picket line. They encourage readers to express their solidarity by refraining from utilizing the cooking app and any popular NYT Games. Individuals looking for a more direct way to support the strikers can contribute to a GoFundMe fundraiser, which has already amassed over $50,000 in donations.
More than 700 Times journalists and Times Guild members have signaled their support for the Tech Union in a press release: "We can't perform our jobs without the Tech Guild," they affirmed in their pledge.
The Times, recognizing the importance of technology in its digital future, is urging readers to support its tech workers during their strike. This support could involve abstaining from using digital platforms like the NYT Cooking App and NYT Games, which heavily rely on technology.
The strategic use of a strike by the Tech Guild highlights the crucial role of technology in The Times' operations, particularly in the election coverage, which relies on the "election needle" feature implemented by the backend tech team.
