New York Times Staffers Vote To Ratify New Deal

After almost two years of contentious negotiations with management, New York Times staffers voted to ratify a new contract on Tuesday, the Newspaper Guild of New York announced.

The deal, which is valid through March 30, 2016, institutes modest bonuses and pay raises, introduces a controversial and less generous new pension plan, and preserves the current union health plan.

In the days before the deal was voted on, Times journalists engaged in lengthy discussions about whether the deal was fair. While nobody loved the contract, some staffers said it was the best they would get, while others said it was still not good enough.

The vote ended nearly 19 months of negotiations. During that time, staffers did everything from sending letters of protest to publisher Arthur Sulzberger to staging brief walkouts to standing silently outside top editorial meetings to releasing angry videos detailing their opposition to the management's plans.

Staffer Michael Luo tweeted that, though negotiations were over, they had left their mark on the newsroom: