Applicants who want more say over where their businesses are located will be pleased to hear that licensees are no longer compelled to take state-leased storefronts.
There needs to be more information on the amount of money raised or the number of properties leased by the Dormitory Authority. The agency just this week made public the signing of the first lease for a shop in Harlem.
The NewsGuild, which represents New York Times workers, went on strike for one day on Thursday, citing bias in the company’s performance reviews as the reason for its call for higher wages and a salary floor.
At the entrance on 40th Street in midtown Manhattan, a large gathering was held. Scabby, the enormous inflatable rat, associated with union theater, was also there, and Guild members donned red in solidarity. Twenty months of stress over failed negotiations finally caused a walkout, and the angry mob of dissatisfied Times employees heard from union leaders, including “1619 Project” architect Nikole Hannah-Jones and NewsGuild chief Susan DeCarava.
Just before she took the stage, Hannah-Jones told Fox News Digital, “The idea is to convince our company that we’re serious, that we deserve to be treated professionally at the negotiation table.”
Hannah-Jones went on, saying, “It’s incredibly essential for me to attend and express solidarity, particularly with our lower-wage workers.” “Some of our members are really trying to make ends meet to work here and live in the city because we haven’t seen raises in two years. Therefore, we must demonstrate our commitment to negotiating a fair contract.”
The paper’s most visible and vocal employee, Hannah-Jones, has stated that morale is poor after 20 months of failed discussions because regular employees want the Gray Lady to succeed but don’t feel appreciated.
According to Hannah-Jones, people are disappointed. The person said, “You don’t get to a step like this if you don’t feel that disappointment.”
Protesters and reporters covering the event crowded around a homemade NYT Guild backdrop and wooden podium as the rally got underway on Thursday afternoon. Photographers climbed scaffolding to acquire a better vantage point, and a chant was chanted at publisher A.G. Sulzberger in reference to a free lunchbox that had been distributed recently. A worker who said he had recently received a New York Times tote bag from the company was quoted as saying, “I don’t need knickknacks, I need a raise.”
Following an investigation by the paper’s data reporters, NewsGuild of New York president DeCarava concluded that internal evaluations conducted by the Times were biased against the paper’s Black employees.
“They have a bias against people of the race working for the New York Times. For instance, no Black employee has ever been given the highest possible grade at the New York Times. Yes, Nikole Hannah-Jones is a member of our squad. Justify why her work isn’t up to snuff, “In the aftermath of the event, with slogans lingering in the air, DeCarava told Fox News Digital. We have several folks daily that do a fantastic job, who bring the news for the Times and don’t get credit for it,” DeCarava said. “It’s about appreciation and payment,” she said.
According to DeCarava, raises are contingent on reviews from within the company. Therefore, Black employees don’t see the increases they believe they deserve.
“A double hit, if you will. How do your superiors, editors, and coworkers view you, and how do they feel about your compensation? “To quote DeCarava: “That’s why we’re pushing so hard to establish a compensation system that recognizes two years without pay [increases] and that also removes much of the discretion from the hands of a biased system,” the author writes.
Despite DeCarava’s advocacy for a more “controlled” system in which “everyone is guaranteed a rise” year, the paper doesn’t seem to be bargaining in good faith. She said, “I do not,” when asked if she thought the Times’ management was honest.
“We’ve seen an incredible amount of support from our readership, which we’re extremely happy for,” she said. The quality of our work is important to us, and we hope the Times will feel the same way. As chair of the Guild unit, Bill Baker was “pleased” with the turnout, but he also voiced criticism of the paper’s management.
If we’re still having this conversation 20 months later, I have my doubts about their good faith, Baker told Fox News Digital. A lot of things could have been wrapped up much earlier.
Baker stated that prior bargaining sessions resulted in union concessions due to the paper’s financial struggles. But now that things are looking up and the Times has made several major purchases, such as Wordle and The Athletic, he wants some recognition.
Baker argued that employees deserved recognition not only for their contributions to the company’s current success but also for the concessions they had previously made.
Stacy Cowley, a financial writer for the Times and a member of the Guild’s bargaining committee, says that raising salaries to keep up with inflation and ensuring a living wage for all Guild employees are the two most pressing concerns.
Cowley strongly disagrees with the public claims made by the New York Times’ management that the Guild doesn’t want to negotiate face-to-face because the union prefers Zoom sessions so that all members can observe the negotiation attempts.
It is our fundamental belief that these conversations should not be held in private,” Cowley stated. We think it’s important for everyone to observe how the sausage is created.
Even if Cowley claims that more conversations aren’t scheduled until Tuesday, she is available whenever you are.
“We will keep trying all avenues to reach an agreement. I believe you’ve seen the force of our collective resolve today; if the Times keeps giving up proposals that are utterly unacceptable, we will not hesitate to take further action “This is what Cowley remarked.
For the 24-hour strike, at least 1,100 workers signed the pledge.
In 1981, Times journalists went on strike for one day. The most notable strike occurred in 1978 and lasted for 88 days, causing publication delays. An employee walkout occurred in 2018 over the removal of the copy desk.
The Times’ executive editor, Joe Kahn, expressed his displeasure with the walkout and refuted reports that negotiations between the NewsGuild and management had stalled.
We continue to swap offers and make progress toward an agreement, he added, even if “the corporation and the NewsGuild remain apart on a number of subjects.”
When asked a series of questions, including whether or not management is negotiating in good faith and whether or not the employee evaluation process is biased against certain groups, the New York Times did not immediately provide a response.
The state’s loosened storefront criteria reflect the current economic circumstances, according to Scheril Murray Powell, an attorney representing one of the license holders and twenty-six additional applications through her non-profit, the Justüs Foundation. Potential patrons and financiers had grown wary of parting with their cash, which, she argued, has slowed the expansion of the state fund.
Ms. Murray Powell remarked, “It seems to be impacting the O.C.M.,” referring to the cannabis agency.