New York Times staffers rally outside headquarters demanding fair contract
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New York Times employees rose from their workspaces at the newspaper’s New York City headquarters on Wednesday and gathered outside to demonstrate against management, demanding a fair contract and insisting the company puts profits over people.
The event, dubbed the “Rally for a Fair Contract”, comes as the Times Guild is fighting for protection against artificial intelligence, guaranteed hybrid working, affordable healthcare, wage increases to match the rising cost of living and keeping work within the union.
Times Guild members, who represent more than 1,500 editorial, advertising and support staff employees, are angry that their contracts expire on Feb. 28 and a resolution appears no closer. The union on Tuesday filed unfair labor practice charges against the paper after “Fair Contract Now” signs placed on desks throughout the office were removed; The guild called it a violation of union members’ federally protected rights, but a Times insider said it was an honest mistake by the cleaning crew.
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Times Guild members representing more than 1,500 editorial, advertising and support staff employees marched against the administration on Wednesday. (Nikos DeGruccio)
New York Times senior editor Jim Luttrell, who is also division president of the Times Guild, believes rank-and-file employees are simply “not happy” with management.
“This company is mostly a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ approach and is a complete company when it comes to dealing with organized labor. They want to increase their profits even more, but they don’t want to share those profits with us,” Luttrell told Fox News Digital.
“We know we made this place what it is,” Luttrell added. “Today it was a tense moment…to say to the company: ‘You’ve ignored our needs, our wants and our desires, and we’re not going anywhere.'”
Luttrell, who has worked at the Times for 31 years, said artificial intelligence is seen as “a threat to our jobs” and that unionized employees have sought protection in writing. He said management was on board with what the protections should be, but Gray Lady brass didn’t want to “put that into a contract.”
“We know we want to prepare for the worst and ensure our people are protected,” Luttrell said. he said.
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New York Times senior editor Jim Luttrell discussed labor issues with Fox News Digital. (Nikos DeGruccio)
Luttrell also believes employees of The Athletic, the sports news site the Times acquired in 2022, should be part of the Times Guild. He said athletics staff I submitted a petition to join the union, but I did not get any results..
“They want to take away the union’s jobs and dilute our power,” Luttrell said.
“The Times bought a separate company; they later distributed their own sports desks and now use that company as their sports department,” he continued. “Other journalists here are doing the same job that sports journalists did here before. There is no reason why they should not become members of the union.”
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New York Times employees marched against management outside the newspaper’s New York City headquarters on Wednesday. (Nikos DeGruccio)
A Times insider also stated that staff affected by the disbanding of the sports desk in 2023 have received new job offers and that there are no job losses due to the decision. Athletic broadcaster David Perpich in January 2025 aimed at unionization and favored the creation of a separate bargaining unit within the NewsGuild rather than joining the existing Times Guild union.
“We strongly believe that the best approach is for The Athletic’s journalists to form a separate bargaining unit within the NewsGuild, not to be incorporated into the Times unit as suggested in the letter. We are prepared to voluntarily recognize such a separate unit, as we have done with the Wirecutter Union,” Perpich wrote. “The Athletic’s newsroom is completely independent of The Times’s and has separate leadership.”
Luttrell was pleased with the turnout for the rally, especially on a swelteringly hot day when temperatures reached 90 degrees.
He said middle management was generally “sympathetic” to the Guild, but it was up to high-powered executives to reach an agreement.
“If they want to come to the table and actually negotiate, we’re willing to do that,” Luttrell said.
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Many New York Times employees took to the streets on Wednesday. (Nikos DeGruccio)
A New York Times spokesman said the Guild was moving slowly through the process.
“We have had a fair contract offer on the table since last October. There has been no response to our wage offers from the Guild for 225 days. An agreement will be made when the Guild is ready to begin serious negotiations on major issues,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
NY NewsGuild president Susan DeCarava, Sunday designer Andrea Zagata, Metro reporter Ed Shanahan and reporter Jenny Vrentas joined Luttrell as speakers at the rally.
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“It is unacceptable that The Times imprint continues to put shareholders ahead of our members, the reason for the Times’ success,” DeCarava said. he said. “We stand united in our fight for a charter that recognizes the value of our members’ work and will continue to uphold the line of ethical, people-powered journalism at the Times.”
