Saying that it’s been unable to reach an agreement with New York Times management, Wirecutter’s union announced Tuesday that, as previously threatened, union staff will strike from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, Wirecutter’s busiest and most profitable period of the year.
The union also encouraged readers to boycott Wirecutter during that period, thus depriving the Times of that sweet sweet affiliate link revenue.
With @wirecutter/@nytimes management refusing to come to the table to reach a deal, 100% of our unit will be striking from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday. The best way you can support us is by boycotting @wirecutter from 11/25-11/29: https://t.co/sLOVFbdbZK pic.twitter.com/KPuru7Kn91
— Wirecutter Union (@wirecutterunion) November 23, 2021
Additionally, there is a GoFundMe to help staffers make up “the hundreds of hours of overtime” they would have worked. As of Tuesday afternoon, $7,000 had been raised toward a $10,000 goal.
Wirecutter’s union says it is seeking wage increases totaling “about $300,000, spread over our 65 person unit.”
“The New York Times has a long history of productive relationships with unions to advance our shared objectives. We’re actively working with the Wirecutter Union to reach a collective bargaining agreement that continues to reward our employees for their work and contributions to The Times’s success, and we look forward to continuing those negotiations at the bargaining table,” Danielle Rhoades-Ha, VP of communications for The New York Times, said in a statement to Nieman Lab. “We’ve offered dates in early December to the Wirecutter Union, and are awaiting their response.”
