The New York Times editors and reporters have embarked on a one-day strike after complaining that negotiations between their union and the firm stretched on and made little forward.

The journalists downed tools on Thursday.

The development marks the first of such industrial action at the paper in more than 40 years.

The New York Times Guild, the union handling negotiations on behalf of the workers, charged The Times with engaging in bad faith negotiations in a statement released Wednesday night.

“Their wage proposal still fails to meet the economic moment, lagging far behind both inflation and the average rate of wage gains in the U.S.,” the union in the statement said.

However, The Times executive editor Joe Kahn expressed his disappointment with the union’s choice to go on strike in a note to the newsroom.

“Strikes typically happen when talks deadlock. That is not where we are today,” Mr Kahn said. “While the company and the NewsGuild remain apart on a number of issues, we continue to trade proposals and make progress toward an agreement.”

There have been roughly 40 meetings for negotiating between The Times and The New York Times Guild since the March 2021 contract expiration. 

Among other issues, salaries, health benefits, and retirement plans have not been resolved during negotiations.

More than 1,100 workers signed a 24-hour strike pledge. 

About 1,450 employees in the newsroom, advertising, and other divisions of the corporation are represented by the union negotiating the contract, a member of the NewsGuild of New York. 

The newsroom at The Times employs more than 1,800 people.

Compensation is the negotiation’s most contentious topic. 

The Times proposed a 5.5 per cent raise when the agreement is accepted, but the union wants a 10 per cent raise upon ratification, 5.5 per cent raises in 2023 and 2024, and an 8.5 per cent retroactive bonus to make up for the absence of wages since the contract ended.