Twitter CEO Elon Musk weighed in Thursday on the New York Times (NYT) Union strike.
More than 1,100 union members at the NYT staged a 24-hour strike Thursday over disagreements about benefits and wages, prompting Musk to jump in the conversation.
“Woke v Woke,” Musk tweeted.
Woke v Woke pic.twitter.com/hmhC5eelik
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 8, 2022
Union members with The NYT Guild, which has approximately 1,300 members, organized a picket line outside of headquarters to demand higher wages and ensure pension and retirement benefits.
NYTexecutives and employees had until Dec. 8 to reach an agreement. (RELATED: ‘An Unregistered Lobbying Firm’: Musk Rips NYT After Silence On ‘Twitter Files’)
The union employees’ contracts expired in March of 2021 and they demanded a new contract by Dec. 8 that includes higher wages, pensions, healthcare and a new retirement plan, threatening a walkout in a Dec. 2 letter to publisher A.G. Sulzberger and CEO Meredith Kopek Levien.
The union further demanded a remote work policy and a “performance ratings system” that would protect members from alleged biases experienced by certain staffers.
The Times offered union members a 5.5% raise upon finalization of the contract including an additional 3 percent raise over the next two years and an 8.5% retroactive bonus.
The union guild said Wednesday the proposed agreement did not meet their demands.
“For the past 20 months we have asked the New York Times management, over and over, to bargain in good faith for a union contract and to provide employees our fair share of the revenue the company has earned from all of our hard and diligent work. Their responses have led us to walk out for 24 hours.”
To our readers: We did not make this decision lightly. We are deeply committed to the success of the @nytimes. We also know that we produce our best work when we feel valued and are treated equitably. Thank you for standing by us today. pic.twitter.com/5Phd53ZeRP
— NYTimesGuild (@NYTimesGuild) December 8, 2022
Musk himself has dealt with a similar situation, ordering all Tesla employees return to work-in-person or leave the company. Musk ordered his employees to spend a minimum of 40 hours in the office per week or depart the company if they wish to continue remote work, citing that in-person work would improve work flow and morale.