Hundreds of New York Times tech employees are on strike ahead of Election Day

The New York Times Tech Guild, which represents hundreds of the newspaper giant's tech employees, went on strike Monday, a day before Election Day.

According to the New York Times, the guild said in a statement that members would begin protesting daily outside the Times headquarters starting at 9 a.m. Monday.

The planned strike came after a vote on September 10 to strike at a critical point if an agreement is not reached: election week. Anticipation and interest in the 2024 election is enormous, and The New York Times has the largest online subscriber base of any American newspaper and one of the busiest news websites.

According to the Times, the Tech Guild's 600 members are responsible for the back-end systems that power the newspaper's extensive digital operations, working in engineering, product, design, data and the project management office. The strike could impact the newspaper's ability to report on the election results of the presidential race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, as well as the hundreds of House races and dozens of Senate races that dominate the national conversation and decide who wins in 2025 will have control of Washington.

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“They have left us no choice but to demonstrate the power of our work on the picket lines,” Kathy Zhang, the guild’s president, said in the statement, according to The New York Times. “Nevertheless, we are ready to negotiate and get this contract across the finish line.”

According to the Times, negotiations continued late into Sunday and there were still disagreements over issues such as a “just cause” provision that would prevent termination for reasons unrelated to misconduct, as well as pay raises and guidelines for returning to office. Times management told workers Sunday that it had offered a 2.5% annual wage increase, a 5% minimum wage increase for promotions and a $1,000 ratification bonus.

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At a rally last week, a guild official called on the company to stop “dumbling” on a contract and guaranteed a strike if it didn't get its act together. He also criticized the “myth” that popular apps and services fix themselves without people working behind the scenes.

“The work that all of us do at the Tech Guild is just as human and just as directly driven by our work as the work of our colleagues in the newsroom,” he said.

The New York Times building. (Bloomberg/Contributor)

There are reports that the site's famous “Election Pin,” which indicates the likelihood of a Trump or Harris victory, may be at risk; Technicians also ensure that Times apps, push notifications and other digital mechanisms function smoothly.

The negotiations have turned ugly at times; The Tech Guild posted on October 30th on It is abhorrent to share code remotely with a contractor.

The Tech Guild voted to unionize in March 2022.

A spokesperson for The New York Times Company told Fox News Digital that the newspaper was “disappointed” by the timing of the strike.

“We look forward to continuing to work with Tech Guild to reach a fair contract that recognizes that they are already among the highest paid individual employees in the company and that journalism is our top priority,” said spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades-Ha. “We are in one of the most significant periods of reporting for our readers and have solid plans in place to ensure we can fulfill our mission and serve our readers. While we respect the union's right to engage in protected action, we are disappointed that colleagues are striking at this time, which is both unnecessary and inconsistent with our mission.”

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the guild for comment.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with a response from the New York Times.