New York Times tech union threatens to strike on the eve of Election Day

The clock is ticking on the New York Times’ iconic election needle.

The New York Times Tech Guild announced that its members will go on strike on the eve of one of the most critical elections in the nation’s history if an agreement isn’t reached on a contract as soon as possible.

The NYT Tech Guild comprises about 700 tech workers, including software engineers, designers, product managers and data analysts who build the newspaper’s most profitable products — like its website, podcasts and games.

In a letter shared Friday on X, the guild said that the Times’ representatives “have demonstrated an unwillingness at the table to be reasonable on key contract demands.” Contract negotiations have entered their third year and a strike was authorized by guild members on Sept. 10, the guild said.

“We want to reach an agreement and believe it is possible with a good faith management partner,” the guild said in the letter. “We have made it clear that we need to reach an agreement before the election in order to avert a strike.”

The guild says it has been fighting for a contract to secure better wages, hours, benefits and job security, as well as foster diversity, equity and inclusion among the organization’s workforce.

The guild has accused Times management of not bargaining in good faith and making inflammatory decisions, like firing employees without just cause and limiting bargaining time in an effort to delay an agreement.

The New York Times has not responded to a request for comment.

It’s unclear exactly what the impact on the Times website might be if members of the guild go on strike ahead of Tuesday’s election, which pits Vice President Kamala Harris against former President Donald Trump in a tight race.

Much of the New York Times’ homepage on election night is dominated by graphics and other visual components, including the famous Needle, a data visualization that resembles a car’s speedometer. The Needle shares the paper’s race forecasts, based on a statistical analysis of votes that are counted and estimates of votes to come. An interactive map of the country with states appearing as red or blue also dominates the page as votes are tallied.