Over 600 New York Times technology workers went on strike today. With the election looming, the techies are leveraging their know-how when it comes to familiar election graphics such as the "needle" which indicates the likely winner of a race.
Also affected: audio playback online, and the growing family of daily distraction games such as Wordle, Spelling Bee, and Connections.
The timing of the strike comes as no surprise to the Gray Lady. As the Washington Examiner reports:
This strike was two years in the making ever since the Times Tech Guild was voted into certification in March 2022. In September, guild members authorized a strike slated for just before the Nov. 5 election, when the outlet expects an increase in readership and a high risk time for website bugs.
First a guild, now a strike, and on the eve of the most charged election in modern American history. The Manhattan strongly predicts that the strike will be resolved, as the Times can ill afford more bad publicity. The most memorable part of this self-indulgent charade are the demands made by the strikers.
Included in the negotiations were some truly laughable demands. Apart from the actual equity of NYT stock, they have asked for woke equity in the form of a specific pay raise for nonwhite staff. Further, they seek a shorter week, "unlimited break time," and time off when a pet dies.
"Unlimited break" sounds an awful lot like "not working and getting paid". As for pet bereavement, a large fish tank at home with a few handfuls of Betta fish from Petco ought to ensure a programmer never sees the inside they/their cubicle for weeks at a time.
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Guild members are seeking an increase in pay, which includes an increase for the nonwhite staff, full-coverage health insurance, restricted stock unit grants, a four-day work week, and a just cause protection when employees are let go. Should layoffs occur, the guild demanded that the noncitizen employees be given priority, and the members are also asking for unlimited break times, accommodations for pet bereavement, bans on scented products in the break rooms, and trigger warnings in meetings.
The latest offer from the company included a 2.5% annual wage increase, a minimum 5% raise when it comes to promotions, and a $1,000 ratification bonus. The employer will continue to mandate workers come into the office at least two days a week while continuing to allow three weeks of completely remote work per year. At the moment, tech staff make an average of $190,000 a year, which is $40,000 more than the reporters’ average.
"Learn to code" turned out to be pretty solid advice after all. $200K for two days a week in a guaranteed scent-free office? Extra protections for illegal alien coworkers? Surely, this is what America stands for. Surely, the vapidity behind the list has nothing whatsoever to do with the surge in American populism.
On the eve of an election they are terrified to lose, the Times has become the perfect parody of the Democrats, a mirror held up to the fractal circus of the perpetual victim that is modern liberalism.
