More than 1,100 reporters and editors at the New York Times went on strike Thursday, in protest of disparate negotiations between the representing union and the company.

Some of the paper's most acclaimed names have joined the strike, and a protest is scheduled outside the Times' headquarters in New York. The stoppage began at midnight Thursday, and staffers plan to hold out for 24 hours.

Members of the New York Times Guild -- the union that covers about 1,400 Times workers, including non-newsroom departments such as advertising and security -- say that the two sides have come to an impasse, mainly over pay.

Union members argue that they should share more heavily in the successful run the Times has been on, and that wage increases do not align with rising inflation. The Times contends it cannot afford to pay employees the rates the union is demanding.

In recent weeks, prominent newsrooms throughout the country have cut staff, as advertising and a shifty economic future continue to affect profits. Outlets such as CNN, Buzzfeed, and several under the Gannett newspaper chain have all experienced recent staff cuts.

Despite layoffs and reconfiguration among competitors, staffers at the Times believe the paper is in a stable enough place to reinvest back into its newsroom. The Times recently acquired the Athletic for $550 million in cash and has begun a zealous stock buy-back initiative.

"The Times is in good financial shape now," Times investigative reporter Jennifer Valentino-DeVries told the Washington Post. "And we think that our work should be valued more highly than what they're currently offering."

The strike was organized by the NewsGuild of New York, which represents the union, and is seen as a flexing of muscle for staffers amid a nationwide boom in labor organizing. In a memo obtained by NPR, Times Co. CEO Meredith Kopit Levien expressed her frustration with the union.

"It's disappointing that they're taking such drastic action," said Levien, citing "the clear commitment we've shown to negotiate our way to a contract that provides Times journalists with substantial pay increases, market-leading benefits, and flexible working conditions."

Negotiations have been ongoing, and earlier this week reports indicated that the guild sought average pay raises of 5.5% in 2023 and 2024, while the Times countered with two years of 3% increases. The paper's staffers have operated without a working contract since the previous one expired in March 2021.

Union members and the Times have mainly found distance concerning the minimum salary allowed to employees. As of now, the guild says it wants a minimum salary of $65,000 for reporters, while the Times calls this request "unreasonable."

The Times has rarely experienced labor disruptions, especially on the scale of this one. There was a brief lunchtime walkout in 2017, but the last movement to effect publication of the paper came in 1978 when staffers went on strike for 88 days. The paper does not expect the strike to have any effect on its normal publishing operation.