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NY Times staffers rebel in solidarity with striking employees

November 26, 2021 | | Print Article

New York Times staffers are in open rebellion against the paper to show solidarity with other workers who have gone on strike over the Thanksgiving weekend.

The strike began after Wirecutter, which is the paper’s “product recommendation service” that provides shoppers with advice on the latest merchandise, posted an article Thursday titled, “75+ Best Early Black Friday Deals for 2021” ahead of the year’s biggest shopping day.

But after the paper shared the piece on Twitter, it received major pushback that included a number of employees, Fox News reported.

“100 PERCENT of @wirecutterunion is ON STRIKE starting today!” noted Times reporter Davey Alba.

“These posts are brought to you by NYT assigning work to middle managers & freelancers instead of paying @wirecutterunion a TOTAL OF $300,000 in raises distributed across 66 PEOPLE! NYT has ONE BILLION DOLLARS in cash!”

https://twitter.com/daveyalba/status/1463876191782424580

He went on to encourage other users to shun the service this weekend.

“Don’t click these links! Don’t shop through Wirecutter this Black Friday! Pass it along!” he wrote.

“Just a reminder that the @wirecutterunion is on strike. Clicking on any wirecutter links from today through Black Friday is crossing the picket line,” added the Times’ technology reporter Sheera Frenkel.

“I’m supporting my coworkers at Wirecutter, who are striking this weekend,” added Times tech reporter Kate Conger.

“[Wirecutter] employees are on strike today. In solidarity, boycott the website,” Times breaking news reporter Isabella Grullón Paz wrote.

“Don’t use Wirecutter this weekend while they strike! The audacity of NYT execs to refuse to bargain with Wirecutter workers, then promote Wirecutter content. Solidarity to @wirecutterunion,” a data engineer for the Times, Sarah Duncan, tweeted before urging other users to go to a GoFundMe campaign set up to support the strike and make a donation.

Other journalists from various news outlets, along with left-wing activist groups like the New York City division of the Democratic Socialists of America, hopped aboard to support striking Wirecutter and Times staffers.

“The New York Times has a long history of productive relationships with unions to advance our shared objectives,” said a spokesperson in a statement to Fox News.

“We’re actively working with the Wirecutter Union to reach a collective bargaining agreement that continues to reward our employees for their work and contributions to The Times’s success, and we look forward to continuing those negotiations at the bargaining table in early December,” the spokesperson added.

The strike is scheduled to last through Monday. Strikers have asked the public not to use the Wirecutter service, urging people not to “cross the digital picket line” throughout the busy shopping season.

“After two years of bargaining, The New York Times Company has continued to delay our negotiations through unfair labor practices and wage offers that significantly underpay our staff,” the Wirecutter Union noted on its website, according to Fox News.

“We, members of the Wirecutter Union, are fed up. We’re prepared to walk out during the Black Friday shopping week to win the fair contract we deserve,” the notice added.

Jon Dougherty
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