• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, January 6, 2025

At one time, sportswriters and general reporters would indulge in good-natured two-way needling. But they'd unite as one when it came to union matters, and that is holding true today with the announcement that workers at The Athletic, the New York Times sports unit, have organized with the NewsGuild of New York.  

The staffers have asked the Times to recognize them as part of the newsroom union, the Times Guild reports. And Times staffers support the idea. 

The Times acquired The Athletic in 2022, and in the following year closed the New York Times Sports Desk and shifted its work to Times staff assigned to The Athletic.  

“The choice that leaders at The Times made to close our legendary Sports desk tore a hole in our newsroom,” the Times union wrote in a letter of support. “While the damage that caused can never be repaired, bringing our colleagues at The Athletic into our union is a vital step in preserving rights that generations of employees at The Times have fought to build and maintain.”

Jenny Vrentas, a reporter in the business section of the Times who has worked on the sports desk, adds, “Hundreds of Athletic journalists are now doing the same work without the protections afforded under our union contract. We want to make sure that the journalism in the New York Times is done by members of the Times Guild.” 

The Times is reviewing the request, the paper reports. 

But the union insists on a positive answer and says it will pursue other legal pathways if turned down. 

“The Times must recognize these workers as part of the Times Guild.” says Susan DeCarava, president of The NewsGuild of New York. “We will not support a two-tier system that disenfranchises workers and undermines our members, nor will we accept management’s charade that The Athletic is a separate entity.”