Gray Lady Down! The strike was called by 1,100 of 1,450 New York Times unionized employees. The strike, which lasted 24 hours, was the first in 40 years for the newspaper rag. The New York Times claims to be the home of “All the News That is Fit To Print,” but that’s not true today.
Our readers might be shocked by this. You might not know that 1,100 people who drink 8-dollar lattes and are overworked and underpaid unless you are into “Wordle” (I have never played), or crossword puzzles.
Elon Musk tweeted about the event with these wise words: Woke v Woke
Woke v Woke pic.twitter.com/hmhC5eelik
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 8, 2022
What is the reason for staff striking? Here’s the digital news you can print:
According to The New York Times (Yes, I subscribe for my faithful reader):
The most contentious aspect of the negotiations is still compensation. The Times offered union members a 5.5% raise upon ratification, 3 percent raises in 2023 and 2024, as well as a retroactive bonus of 4 percent to make up for the lack of raises after the contract expired. The union proposed a 10% raise upon ratification, 5.5% raises in 2023, and 2024, and an 8.5% retroactive bonus.
Talks also covered return-to-work policies as well as the company’s employee performance rating system. The union released an August study stating that the system is discriminatory.
The study found that White Guild members were more likely than Hispanic and Black members to receive the highest ratings.
A team of senior Times managers looked into ways to improve rating processes after the union had released the report. Marc Lacey, a managing editor of The Times, announced plans for updating it in October.
“Our ultimate goal is to have an easier system that everyone applies fairly, consistently, and to concentrate more on thoughtful feedback rather than ratings,” Mr. Lacey wrote.
It is there. It is because “people of color” are rated lower than their white counterparts. This must be a sign of… “racism!”
Bari Weiss quit the Gray Lady because she couldn’t tolerate it anymore. Bari Weiss was a gay liberal. Weiss left the News Room because there was a tendency for staff to rebel against any center-leaning or conservative voices. The unionized NY Times staff that was striking at the time of the Tom Cotton editorial had to be seized collectively. The Cotton editorial editor was fired and the Times published a disclaimer at its top warning readers about the “awfulness” associated with conservative opinions. The fact that Cotton was right was ignored by the staff of The New York Times.
The NYGuild’s second in command says:
We’re asking readers to not engage in any @nytimes platforms tomorrow and stand with us on the digital picket line! Read local news. Listen to public radio. Make something from a cookbook. Break your Wordle streak.
— Amanda Hess (@amandahess) December 7, 2022
As a freelancer for the Los Angeles Times, I came across a similar revolt over Page 1’s lack of color balance and how people of color were treated unfairly. Staff was shouting at editors when they didn’t get the top spots on the front pages or assignments that are reserved for the most experienced journalists. People of color, often with very little or no experience, were the most common complainers. You can do anything if you scream “Racism!”
Here’s my takeaway about today’s news regarding the “Gray Lady Down”.
Stay down, meh.
