The New York Times debuted its famous election needle on Tuesday night, more than a day after the union that represents the tech workers responsible for keeping the needle working went on strike. “We have a needle,” Times chief political analyst Nate Cohn posted on X. Whether the needle would appear at all remained in question over the last week as the Times Tech Guild, which represents roughly 600 engineers and product managers on the paper‘s business side, got close to—and eventually went on—a strike. Cohn wrote earlier on Tuesday that, if the needle didn‘t hold up to internal testing, it wouldn’t appear on election night. Its debut coincided with a Business Insider report that dozens of guild members crossed the picket line on Tuesday and came into work. The guild claimed to the outlet that those who broke ranks were either afraid for their jobs, on work visas, or were already anti-union. The guild and Times management have been in negotiations for more than two years, with reported asks ranging from scented products in break rooms to mandatory trigger warnings before discussing news events. The guild maintains its three primary issues include pay increases, extensions of remote work, and “just cause” protections for job security.
