Tech union workers at the New York Times have threatened to strike on Election Day over a bizarre list of demands that include pet bereavement leave, a four-day work week — and even a ban on scented products in break rooms, according to a report.
The Times Tech Guild’s laundry list of demands during its protracted two-year battle for a contract has also included a call for unlimited sick time, job security for non-citizens who are in the United States on work visas in the event of layoffs and mandatory trigger warnings when discussing news events, Semafor reported.
The union — which represents around 600 software engineers and other tech-oriented, non-editorial workers at the Times — voted last week to authorize a strike, dangling the prospect that the work stoppage could come during the peak traffic period around November’s battle for the White House, according to the outlet.
The Times, headed by chairman AG Sulzberger, said the guild’s economic demands would cost the company more than $100 million in compensation and benefits over the span of the proposed three-year contract, Semafor reported.
The company said that its employees already receive $10,000 in reimbursement for adoption or surrogacy expenses, $50,000 for fertility care and discounts on pet, home and auto insurance.
Members of the Tech Guild earn an average salary of $190,000 a year, which includes salary, bonuses and restricted stock options — about $40,000 more than their brethren in unions that represent journalists at the publication, according to the company.
