Post-Gazette Strikers Demand Healthcare for All After Court Victory as PG Attempts to Deny Improved Union Healthcare to Picket-Crossing Employees

PITTSBURGH – Members of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh TNG-CWA Local 38061 have demanded that their employer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PG), comply with an injunction issued by the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals and restore the healthcare it illegally took away from newsroom workers, addressing a core demand of the union workers who have struck for more than 29 months.

On the day the ruling was made, the company publicly stated its intention to appeal the ruling. It has delayed its compliance with the court’s order by filing a motion to request that the court narrow the scope of the order to exclude current employees who are working jobs that are part of the union’s bargaining unit but have crossed picket lines to work for the Post-Gazette during the strike. The court’s order explicitly applies to all “employees in the bargaining unit.” Strikers continue to demand improved healthcare for all employees in the bargaining unit.

“We’ve asked the company to put the health care plan in place as of April 1st for everybody," said Ed Blazina, striking transportation reporter. "The PG wants the court to allow them to only put it in for the folks on strike—not for the people who are still working. But we will fight for every worker in our bargaining unit, whether they’re on strike or not, to get the dignified health care we all deserve.”

The striking workers have further demanded that the company meet with the union for bargaining and update their proposal to the union for the first time since 2020, in compliance with the court’s order that includes requirements to submit bargaining progress reports to Region 6 of the National Labor Relations Board and negotiate with the workers’ union on any changes in wages, hours, or any other terms of employment.

Following the injunction order, company representation made multiple irrelevant bargaining requests to the union in an effort to delay obeying the court’s order. As it was ordered by the court, there is nothing to bargain; the company simply needs to reinstate workers’ health care. Striking workers are willing to discuss contract bargaining once the company has implemented the health care plan ordered by the court.

The striking newsroom workers are still fighting for their full strike demands: dignified healthcare and the restoration of their union contract, including paid time off, wages, employees having a guaranteed work week, and the right to question company discipline, among other issues, as well as back pay to workers for wage reductions and increased healthcare costs.

"Our goal is unchanged," said striking associate sports editor Rob Joesbury. "Not only do we want our health care. We want a full contract. That is the end goal."

In 2020, the company illegally and unilaterally tore up the editorial workers’ union contract, claiming they had bargained to an impasse. Both an administrative law judge and the National Labor Relations Board in D.C. ruled that the company broke federal labor law in this instance, in addition to bargaining in bad faith and illegally surveilling its workers.

###

About CWA: The Communications Workers of America represents working people in telecommunications, customer service, media, airlines, health care, public service and education, manufacturing, tech, and other fields.

cwa-union.org @cwaunion