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The Times 4-Day Workweek Holy War

Each era seems to get the New York Times union the negotiations it deserves. The latest, already contentious round of labor relations at the paper is likely to come down to issues like A.I. and return-to-office. Don’t expect a return to the recent age of conciliation.

Marc Lacey
Marc Lacey, a reliably conciliatory manager, subsequently sent out a memo in which he called the session “constructive—a spirited back and forth with an agreement to keep talking.” The guild seemed to see it differently. Photo: Courtesy of The New York Times Company
Dylan Byers
January 23, 2026

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On Thursday, the genteel New York Times managing editor Marc Lacey and the company’s revered head labor attorney, Andrew Gutterman, met with representatives of the NewsGuild of New York, the paper’s main union, for the latest in an ongoing series of negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement. The talks are likely to continue up until a late February deadline, and perhaps beyond.