Almost 1,300 employees of the New York Times are refusing to come back to the office, even though the paper is only asking them to be there three days a week.
You might think this is all about COVID, but it’s actually about money. Members of the union that represents journalists and photographers want higher pay.
One complaint is that it’s just too expensive to come to work in the city.
From the New York Post:
The New York Times expects employees to start returning to the office three days a week starting this week — but more than 1,300 journalists are saying hell no, they won’t go.
It’s just the latest blow in the increasingly bitter contract dispute between the News Guild journalists union — which includes reporters and photographers, as well as some editors and business-side employees — and upper management, over wages.
As of Monday, 1,316 Times workers had signed a pledge not to return to the office. This includes 879 members of the News Guild, but also members of the Times Tech Guild and the union for Wirecutter, the paper’s product-recommendation spinoff.
“People are livid,” Tom Coffey told The Post. A 25-year veteran editor at the NYT, he works on the news desk and serves on the union’s Contract Action Committee.
He added that being forced to return to the office during a period of high inflation means workers will have to spend more money on gas, mass transit, clothing and lunches, despite the lack of salary increases.
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So, inflation is a real problem now? Fascinating.
Nearly 1,300 New York Times employees pledge not to return to office https://t.co/31TV5lJBeM pic.twitter.com/ePzFjIepai
— New York Post (@nypost) September 12, 2022
These are the same people that wrote articles claiming inflation wasn’t happening, now knowledge it’s now higher when they need to return to their offices. @nytimes #suckit https://t.co/nIk0uVP0sv
— The Big Burrito (@blowyburrito) September 13, 2022
Should they just be fired?
Good, fire them so they can experience how the rest of the world deals with employees that refuse to show up for work. https://t.co/yDx6XXOXxe
— F* Your Short Memory 🏴 Anti-Cult of Absurdity (@BucMon21) September 13, 2022
Let the cull begin! https://t.co/e4HBsCLV1K
— Mark Ambler of Cain 🇬🇧🇺🇦 (@VeteranGamerUK) September 13, 2022
Turn off their pay checks https://t.co/e7PdEf3YxF
— JK Schu (@jk_schu) September 13, 2022
So, they quit? https://t.co/IDl0ESA9GH
— James Smith (@J_Smith_711) September 13, 2022
Fire them. https://t.co/bFM7B4WggY
— FoxxyBooks says Branch Covidians are Hilarious (@BooksBiden) September 13, 2022
How ugly will this fight get?
https://twitter.com/JesseKellyDC/status/1569522340224192512?s=20&t=BWAShGvvoqBF6CPHlGy2vA
"Oh no — we have to experience the effects of policies we pushed for?"
— Arthur Fortune (@CBove1) September 13, 2022
https://twitter.com/acumetic/status/1569575102144212993?s=20&t=BWAShGvvoqBF6CPHlGy2vA
What ususally happens to people who refuse to show up for work?
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