Support Striking Wirecutter Union Members

Dear supporters of the Wirecutter Union,

 

We are so grateful for the outpouring of support from readers, subscribers, and allies across the labor movement who stand with us in fighting for a fair contract. We are planning to strike this Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, November 25-29th, as the Wirecutter and the New York Times Company have refused to come to the bargaining table to avoid our strike despite us offering multiple dates to do so, including nights and weekends. We are protesting the company’s bad faith bargaining and refusal to agree to fair wages for our staff. Please note that this is a private effort and is not connected with the NewsGuild.

 

This holiday weekend is Wirecutter’s busiest and most profitable time of the year, and many of us were scheduled to work a combined total of hundreds of hours of overtime. This fund will go towards the lost income we will incur through this strike, which our members rely on to pay their bills, travel home for the holidays, and generally support themselves. We’re asking you, our supporters, to help mitigate these lost wages.

 

During two years of bargaining, The New York Times company has slow-walked contract negotiations with unfair labor practices and insignificant wage offers that severely underpay our staff. We, members of the Wirecutter Union, are fed up. The wage increases we’re seeking amount to only about $300,000, spread over our 65 person unit. Wirecutter has been wildly successful, especially over the time we’ve been bargaining this contract, and continues to bring in record revenue for the Times, which is sitting on over $1 billion in cash. Additionally, Times management has offered paltry guaranteed wage increases of only 1%, despite soaring inflation and cash flows.

 

We greatly appreciate any and all financial support. You can also support us by pledging to not cross the digital picket line by boycotting Wirecutter while we’re on strike: https://www.wirecutterunion.com/support-us/. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to wirecutterunion at gmail dot com. If we raise more money than necessary to replace lost wages, excess will be donated to other strike funds. 

 

Though some of us involved are union leaders, the NewsGuild is not authorized to raise money outside of the dues it collects from members, and this fundraiser is not affiliated with the NewsGuild. 

More info

I'm Nick Guy, unit chair of Wirecutter Union and a Wirecutter staffer living in Brooklyn, NY. I'll be collecting these funds, and then distributing them directly to our unit members who opt-in. The funds will be used to replace lost income during our strike. I will not be taking any disbursement from these funds.