The New York Times Tech Guild is threatening to go on strike during the frenetic time around Election Day, a move that could disrupt the newspaper’s ability to provide news updates, election results and forecasts.
“Pretty much every aspect of the business is backed by digital systems that we’ve created,” said Benjamin Harnett, a principal software engineer and a shop steward for the Tech Guild, rattling off examples: the Times’s famous election-night needle, which provides live election result forecasts; mobile push notifications to alert readers to news updates; games, which people might play to ease tension; homepage arrangements; live blogs; and more.
