In the eye of the needle

Early yesterday, the union that represents tech staffers at The New York Times walked off the job, citing allegations of unfair labor practices amid stalled contract talks with management. (The union claims that bosses imposed return-to-office mandates without negotiation and also interrogated members about their strike plans.) The strike would have been disruptive at the best of times — the Times’ tech workforce ensures the smooth running of the paper’s digital output, including push alerts and live blogs—but could be particularly problematic this week, for reasons that are likely obvious unless you’ve been living on Mars. (And even then, you should be paying attention.) In particular, various observers have emphasized that the work stoppage could imperil the Times’ election night “Needle,” which seeks to project the outcome in real time based on evolving data. The union leaned into such concerns yesterday, mocking up a fake Needle showing “Strike Certain” in bright-red font.

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