TNG-CWA Local Holds Silent Protest at NY Times

In their fight for a fair contract at the New York Times, members of TNG-CWA Local 31003 held a silent protest that lined a hallway at the newspaper.

Nearly 300 New York Times members of TNG-CWA Local 31003 lined a third floor hallway in silent protest this week as top editors headed to the daily Page One meeting.

The employees, including high-profile reporters, wore Guild buttons and stickers with the local's new campaign slogan: "Without Us, It's Just White Space."

Local 31003 is fighting for a fair contract for more than 1,000 members at the Times who are being threatened with a pension freeze and other wage and benefit rollbacks. Meanwhile, retired company CEO Janet Robinson recently walked away with a reported $25 million severance package, including a $10.9 pension and $4.5 million in "consulting fees."

This week, a financial website reviewed her consulting contract and found that Robinson is being paid roughly $25,000 an hour for giving advice — assuming the company asks for it. Either way, she gets the money.

"People are angry, and the silent protest was a way of showing their displeasure," said Bill O'Meara, local president.

Times' reporters at the paper's Washington, D.C., bureau held their own silent protest at the same time as their colleagues in New York, shortly before 4 p.m. Read more at the Save Our Times website, www.saveourtimes.com.