The ongoing strike at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has incited action from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which has filed an injunction to necessitate the newspaper's return to good-faith negotiations with its workers. This move comes after a lengthy nearly two-year strike, cited as potentially the longest in the city's history. According to TribLIVE, if the court sides with the union, the Post-Gazette could still seek a judicial stay and appeal further.
Workers affected by the newspaper's unilateral changes to the collective bargaining agreement include press workers, advertisers, and mailers, many of whom had their healthcare costs sharply increased in 2020. Accusing the Post-Gazette of bargaining in bad faith, a series of actions have underscored a troubling standoff between the paper and its workers. "I've woken up every day for the past 22-plus months worried about making ends meet," Photojournalist Alexandra Wimley, who has been on strike stated, as reported by CWA.
The NLRB sides with the workforce, arguing that, without intervention, anticipated conduct from the Post-Gazette will likely continue. Faced with the illicit handling of their rights, employees have endured costs both financial and emotional. According to the NLRB's stance in court documents, swift relief is deemed imperative to prevent ongoing deprivation of rights protected under the National Labor Relations Act.
Among the aggrieved parties, Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh members have operated their news site, the Pittsburgh Union Progress, reported by TribLIVE. Meanwhile, the conversation on the financial implications is at the fore. Attorney Joseph Pass highlighted the enormity of the cost, "They could’ve resolved this for a fraction of that," discussing the millions invested by the Post-Gazette into legal fees since the onset of the strike.
The injunctive relief sought by the NLRB, if granted, intends to compel the Post-Gazette to shoulder health care costs incurred by striking workers, uphold their contractual agreements, and genuinely negotiate with all four unions. Put plainly by CWA President Claude Cummings Jr., as reported by CWA, "For too long, the owners of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette have believed that there is one law for working people and another for the millionaires and the billionaires getting rich off our backs." The statement encapsulates the fervent call for equality under the law, reflective of the widespread sentiment among the workforce.
