The New York Times on Tuesday agreed a new contract with the union representing the majority of its editorial staff, ending more than two years of contentious negotiations, including a 24-hour strike.
The agreement, if ratified, will give union members immediate salary increases of up to 12.5 percent for the past two years and 2023, and will raise the required minimum salary to $65,000, an increase from about $37,500. The previous contract expired in March 2021 and union members have not received any contractual increases since 2020.
The union negotiating the deal, which is part of the NewsGuild of New York, represents nearly 1,500 employees in the newsroom, advertising and other areas of the company. The Times employs more than 1,800 people.
The union said members would vote in the coming week to ratify the five-year agreement.
“This deal is a victory for all union members who fought for a fair contract that rewards our hard work and sacrifice,” Bill Baker, unit president of The New York Times Guild, said in a statement. “It shows that the company cannot take us for granted and should be held accountable.”
Cliff Levy, deputy editor of the Times, said in an email to Times union members that the contract gave them “significant, well-deserved pay raises, a large bonus and a range of significant new benefits.”
“From the outset of this negotiation process, we have been determined to reach a contract that demonstrates our appreciation for the contributions of NewsGuild members to the success of The Times,” said Mr. Levy.
The deal includes a contractual agreement on hybrid work and the right to four weeks of paid sabbatical leave for every 10 years worked at the company. The company also agreed that new editorial jobs, including any expansion into local markets, would be part of the union and pay fair minimum wages.
Negotiations over the contract were often heated, with the division sometimes spilling over into the public eye. Negotiators disagreed over salaries, health and retirement benefits and other issues. The union accused The Times of slowing negotiations and refusing to share the company’s profits with employees, while Times executives pointed to the need for prudent budgeting amid an uncertain economic outlook.
In December, members of the Times Guild staged a one-day strike, a rarity at The Times, which has not had more than a day’s work stoppage since the 1970s. Last month, union members protested outside the company’s annual shareholder meeting and delivered a letter to the publisher, AG Sulzberger, signed by more than 1,000 members, saying, “Enough is enough.”
Under the new contract, which runs from 2021 through February 2026, union members would receive a one-time retroactive bonus of 7 percent of their base salary from when the previous contract expired.
The union workers would receive an initial salary increase on a sliding scale, with larger increases for those who paid less. Employees making less than $100,000 a year get an immediate 12.5 percent raise, while those making more than $160,000 a year get an immediate 10.6 percent raise.
All Guild employees would receive a 3.25 percent raise in 2024 and a 3 percent raise in 2025.
