The Times Tech Guild’s decision to strike during the election is not coincidental. The strike comes after a two-and-a-half-year back-and-forth between the union and The New York Times. This September, the union gave Times management an ultimatum: if demands were not met before the Sunday leading up to election day, Times Tech Guild members would go on strike, leaving the news organization vulnerable.

That’s all well established. They have been negotiating for a long time.