Unionized tech employees at The New York Times have filed grievances against the company for deploying two AI-based tools to track and evaluate individual performance. The unit that filed the complaints represents 700 engineers and designers.
Which tools are named?
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DX: a productivity-tracking software cited in the grievances as being used in disciplinary conversations. Employees report the system supplied metrics such as stating that some staff were "25 percent below industry standard" in pull request counts.
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Glean: an indexing tool that catalogs internal documents and emails. The union alleges that some disciplinary notices appeared to have been generated by Glean.
Lack of disclosure and bargaining
According to the grievances, management refused to disclose its AI plans or provide details about how these systems were being used, and the tools were introduced without prior bargaining or notice to the employee representatives. The union has pursued formal grievance procedures in response.
Why this matters
The case highlights a tension: The New York Times has argued publicly that AI should not profit from others' work without consent, yet internally it has employed AI to quantify and discipline the staff who build its products. The situation raises ethical and labor questions around transparency, informed consent, and collective bargaining when employers adopt AI-driven surveillance and evaluation tools.
Potential consequences and next steps
The union may pursue further legal or collective-action steps if the company does not provide satisfactory explanations. Beyond the Times, the outcome could affect how AI is permitted to shape workplace evaluation and employee rights across the tech sector.
Summary
Unionized engineers and designers at The New York Times have filed grievances after management used DX and Glean to monitor and assess individual performance without disclosing its AI plans. The complaints cite specific metrics and allege that some disciplinary notices were generated by the indexed internal data.
