• by Ray Schultz , December 15, 2024

New York Times tech workers have reached an agreement with the Times for a three-year contract. 

Workers will vote on ratification of the deal on Thursday, December 19th, according to the Times Tech Guild, a bargaining unit of The NewsGuild of New York. 

“We’re thrilled to reach an agreement that secures ‘just cause’ protections, sustains workplace flexibility, and guarantees annual raises for our members,” says Kathy Zhang, a senior analytics manager at The New York Times and unit chair of the Tech Guild. “These first contract wins set a strong foundation for job protections that our colleagues will build upon for generations."

Tech Guild members staged an Unfair Labor Practices strike the day before Election Day, with roughly 400 picketing outside the Times.

The action ended roughly a week later without a contract being agreed upon. 

The tech workers include software developers, project managers and graphic designers. 

The agreement, which was reached after two years of negotiations, includes: 

• Enhanced job security, including "just cause" protections 
• Guaranteed wage increases of up to 8.25% and additional base-rate discretionary compensation that will particularly benefit the lowest-paid workers  
• Added compensation for on-call 
  
• Protections that lock in guardrails for variable compensation like stocks and bonuses
  
• Flexible hybrid work schedules