Just as shoppers started to scour the internet for the best Black Friday deals, union workers at The New York Times’ product review site Wirecutter walked off the job.
The strike, which started Thanksgiving Day, is scheduled to last through Cyber Monday and coincides with what is normally the busiest time of year for the site. The Wirecutter Union is urging readers not to click on Wirecutter links or shop through the site while the strike is ongoing.
The union has said it will end the strike early if it reaches a deal with management on a first contract. Wirecutter staff have been bargaining for their first contract for nearly two years, after unionizing with the NewsGuild in 2019.
In testimonials explaining why they are striking, Wirecutter staff highlight low wages and insufficient salary increases. They say they are not adequately compensated for their work, which has helped contribute to the company’s financial success.
“Wirecutter continues to bring in record revenue for the Times, which is sitting on over $1 billion in cash,” reads a statement on the union’s website. “Yet our members have seen next to no financial benefit from their vital contributions to this success.”
Just before the strike started, The Daily Beast reported that The New York Times attempted to recruit “scabs” to work over the holiday weekend. The Times denied this, telling The Daily Beast that the “casual employees” who will be working had their schedules set before the strike was announced.
The next negotiation session is scheduled for early December, according to New York Times spokesperson Danielle Rhoades Ha. She added that the Times is prepared to serve its readers during the strike.
“While striking during Cyber Week is concerning, we don’t believe it will meaningfully harm the business and we are prepared to serve our readers,” she wrote in an emailed statement.
