NYT Guild Members Ratify Contract

New York Times staffers ratify their new contract.

The Newspaper Guild of New York, CWA Local 31003, ratified a new contract with The New York Times on Tuesday, preserving a defined benefit pension plan and increasing compensation over the next three years.

By a show of hands in New York, Washington and other bureaus, Guild members voted in two groups by a combined 521 to 64 with one abstention in favor of ratifying the contract.

"The level of engagement and activism among members at The Times has been greater than anything I've seen in my 24 years at the Guild," said Guild President Bill O'Meara. "Without it, we would never have been able to accomplish what we did."

The agreement, reached with the aid of mediator Martin Scheinman after 21 months of bargaining, preserves core benefits that management had targeted for elimination and provides pay increases. Guild members will still be covered by a defined benefit pension plan called the APP — the Adjustable Pension Plan — which will give new Guild retirees monthly income for life. The current health care plan will also stay in place with The Times providing an additional $4.5 million to ensure that members will not have to divert their wage increases to pay for medical care. Read more about the terms here.

All year, Times Guild members have mobilized in a series of job actions that included a silent protest outside the daily editors' meeting, walking out en masse and leafleting the annual shareholders meeting.