In conflict with the group's management, the movement of employees in technological professions threatens to disrupt the coverage of results.
Will The Needle be able to predict the winner of the 2024 American election this year? The New York Times prediction tool could well be one of the first victims of the strike launched this Monday by the digital teams of the famous American media. On the eve of one of the most decisive elections for the future of the United States, the union of technology team employees (“Times Tech Guild”) has launched an indefinite strike movement to demand wage increases, better working conditions and job security.
This Times Tech Guild represents more than 600 engineers, data managers, designers, software developers and technical staff who develop and operate the systems that power the newspaper's website and applications. If the strike continues until Tuesday, it will be the first to coincide with a presidential election since 1964, according to the union. “ Despite the risk of a strike that would disrupt access to information during the presidential election, management has failed to meaningfully address the key concerns of tech workers “, declared the union on Monday. Management responds that the positions in question are among the best paid in the company, while these profiles are highly sought after in the tech sector.
« We look forward to continuing to work with the Tech Guild to reach a fair contract that takes into account that they are already among the highest-paid individual contributors at the company and that journalism is our top priority. We are in one of the most important coverage periods for our readers and we have robust plans in place to ensure we are able to fulfill our mission and serve our readers » said a company spokesperson. The editorial staff are not affected by the protest movement.
The publishing company The New York Times Company also published its results for the third quarter with a turnover of 640.2 million dollars (compared to 598.3 million dollars over the same period a year ago). Over the three months, its net profit amounted to $64.1 million, compared to $53.6 million between July and September 2023. The company said it added around 260,000 net digital subscribers for a total number that exceeds 11 million.
