(NEW YORK CITY) - The New York Times Guild, a Unit of The NewsGuild of New York, has reached a tentative agreement with The New York Times Company on a new Collective Bargaining Contract after more than two years of negotiations.

The deal, which now must be ratified by Members to go into effect, is a five-year agreement that run until March 2026.

The contract will also set new standards for working conditions, wages and benefits across the Media Industry, Union Officials said, and the agreement addresses a majority of the provisions Times workers have demanded since their previous contract expired in March 2021, at the height of the Coronavirus Pandemic. 

“This deal is a victory for all the Union Members who fought for a fair contract that rewards our hard work and sacrifice,” said Bill Baker, New York Times Communications Coordinator and Times Guild Unit Chair. “It shows that the company cannot take us for granted and must be held accountable.”

The five-year contract, effective after ratification, includes: A universal $65,000 salary floor; Immediate raises of at least 10.6% for all Members, with 12.5% raises for the lowest earners, and annual wage increases now based on actual pay rather than contract minimums; The first contractual agreement on hybrid work in Times Guild history; A ban on the use of nondisclosure agreements in cases of workplace abuse or harassment; Expanded Benefits, including $50,000 in fertility coverage and paid sabbaticals of four weeks for every 10 years worked at the company; and An agreement on paths to expand the newsroom, including into local markets across the country, with new jobs that will be part of the Union and to pay fair minimum salaries.

The deal also includes a lump sum payment to Staff Members and about 70 Temporary and Casual Workers, equivalent to 7% of wages earned since the last contract expired.

The 1,500-member Times Guild represents Journalists at The New York Times, along with Ad Sales Workers, Information Technology Workers, Security guards and Workers at The Times Center, the company’s event venue.

Newsroom Employees at The New York Times have been represented by The NewsGuild of New York since 1941. 

To secure the contract, Workers engaged in a series of escalating actions, including multiple petitions, reply-all e-mail chains, Social Media campaigns and in-person collective actions.

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