It was a very New York Times protest. Meticulously planned, well staffed, if somewhat meandering in the execution.
As part of an ongoing and increasingly fractious dispute about pay and conditions, about 375 staff members gathered in the paper's New York headquarters, walked out of one entrance, strolled round the block and walked back in another. In Washington DC, 23 staff members staged a similar protest.
The whole thing lasted about 10 minutes.
Picture
Memo
Here's an extract from the memo to members of the New York Times union, the guild, detailing how the action would proceed (the full memo is on the Huffington Post):
Monday, 3:35 PM: A group will be leaving the building en masse for a few minutes. Here are the instructions.
* By 3:35 PM, be at the Pulitzer staircase in the center of the newsroom on your floor. NB: This does not mean leave your desk at 3:35. It means be there by 3:35.
* If you work above the fourth floor, come to the fourth floor by 3:35 pm.
* As the people on the fourth floor come down, those on the third floor will join them and walk to the second floor.
* At the second floor, the remaining people will join the crowd from the upper floor, and we will all be guided to the building exits by floor marshals.
* At street level, other colleagues will have a (very short) statement on stickers for us to wear back to our desks.
* We will exit onto 40th Street and walk up Eighth Avenue to the 41st Street lobby entrance, and then return back to our desks.
If you grab a cup of coffee from the third floor wagon, be sure your sticker is in plain sight.
Please note: This is not a job action. We want you to participate if you have flexibility in your work schedule that permits a 10 or 15 minute break at 3:35. Please plan your day accordingly. If you are unable to join the group, colleagues will bring back stickers.
Video
Capital New York posted this video of the protest on YouTube. You can read reporter Joe Pompeo's story here.
The dispute has been going on for a year and a half. Staff representatives say that with each proposal presented by managers, the picture gets worse. "No matter how hard you squint at the numbers, they never get any better," they write in the latest memo. They say the latest plan would result in a cut of $12,000 per year in compensation.
The latest round of negotiations began in September, but an impasse has been reached over demands by managers that print and digital staff sign separate contracts, as well as proposals to freeze pensions.
