The Third Circuit Court of Appeals denied two motions by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Tuesday that would’ve delayed a rare injunction our members won after 30 months on strike. The ruling from the court lets stand an injunction that requires the company to restore pre-2020 health care coverage, bargain in good faith and submit updates on the status of bargaining to the National Labor Relations Board.
“The Post-Gazette’s attempts to evade its responsibility have exhausted the courts and exhausted every legal delay tactic, while our strikers’ determination and solidarity have only grown,” said Zack Tanner, president of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh-CWA Local 38061. “The Post-Gazette must immediately restore our health care for every member of our bargaining unit or risk the consequences of being in contempt of court. Today is a clear signal that it is time for the Post-Gazette to settle the strike by restoring the terms of our union contract before the courts take further action against the company’s lawless mistreatment of dedicated journalists.”
Journalists hold power to account — including our employers. These folks are doing that while the top editors, publishers and owning family violate federal law. The boss could soon face contempt of court proceedings if management fails to follow this judge’s order. I’m going to stand with them through this fight to the end.
Join me this May Day by supporting our members on strike for more than 30 months.
The Houston Landing is shutting down, but the journalists are not done fighting. The board of Houston Landing voted to shut down the nonprofit newsroom and cease operations by mid-May, laying off 21 NewsGuild members and ending a newsroom that delivered high-impact accountability journalism to underserved communities across Houston. The Landing’s board made a collective decision to shutter the organization and permanently alter the livelihoods of over 40 employees without ever addressing the staff.
The Houston Landing NewsGuild won union recognition last year after every journalist signed a card to form a union. Our members at the Houston Landing pushed the outlet to live up to its founding mission. Their reporting won national recognition, led to investigations that sparked federal and state action and built public trust in the region.
Now, workers are fighting for fair severance after management made a disappointing offer of just four weeks of pay while members face mounting costs: rent/breaking leases, health care, car payments and crushing student loan debt.
“We could not be prouder of our members. But we could not have done it alone. We ask for your continued support as we navigate through this difficult transition and negotiate fair severance packages for all,” the Houston Landing Guild said in a statement last week.
Our members at Radio Free Asia won a significant preliminary injunction from a Reagan-appointed judge who ordered the Trump administration and the U.S. Agency for Global Media to continue sending the Congressionally-approved payments to RFA and other newsrooms. However, the administration has delayed sending RFA money repeatedly. And now the newsroom management is looking to lay off almost all of our members and other workers. We continue to support these members and fight for their rights under their contract with them.
Sign their petition and stand with our family at Radio Free Asia.
Washingtonian Guild calls out hypocrisy at “women in Journalism” event. While Washingtonian management held a fancy event to celebrate women in journalism, the actual women journalists who make the magazine were outside protesting for a living wage.
Two-thirds of the women in the Washingtonian Guild don’t make a liable income in D.C. Management has proposed a salary floor of $42,500 which is far below the $64,000 benchmark for a “modest yet adequate” income in the area. We’re demanding a $60,000 floor. Workers also want bereavement leave to cover miscarriages, but management said employees would fake miscarriages to take leave.
If that also disgusts you, show your support by sending a letter directly to Washingtonian CEO Cathy Merrill.
During the event, noted D.C. bachelor and social media influencer Tony P stopped by and showed his support for the workers and sported a “Journalists deserve fair wages” sticker at the event.
Earlier this week I was in Victoria, British Columbia for the CWA Canada National Representative Council meeting with our Executive Vice President Marian Needham. The NewsGuild-CWA president has a seat on that council with voice, but no vote. The annual meeting brings together leaders from across Canada, which are all also part of The NewsGuild, CWA and (obviously) CWA Canada.
It was a very good meeting. Every conversation and presentation showed just how much we have in common. Politicians in both the U.S. and Canada have threatened journalists and avoided having press conferences or taking questions from well-respected journalists. Hedge funds are destroying newspapers across the continent. Employers are using artificial intelligence to cut staff and pay. And we’re all bargaining and organizing for better pay and benefits.
We heard about how members at The Canadian Press voted 94% to strike, with 97% turning out to vote. After a lot of bargaining, journalists and other workers are still fighting for a fair contract at the wire service operation. Members are fighting for wages that reflect the industry standard and keep up with inflation. They’re pushing for language to protect their jobs from being eliminated by artificial intelligence. They’re also pushing to protect their work so it’s not done by management. And more.
And you probably saw the results from the federal elections in Canada. The Liberal party won the largest number of seats. The Conservatives had been favored to win just a few months ago, but President Trump’s rhetoric and tariffs have turned off Canadians and this election showed a stunning reversal in sentiment in short order. The Conservative party was openly campaigning to defund the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, where more than 4,800 of our union family work. That would have destroyed a great public broadcaster that serves Canadians.
Cascade PBS workers reached a tentative agreement after nine months of bargaining. The workers rallied outside of the newsroom last month demanding raises, fully paid parental leave and a real work-life balance. Now, workers are bringing the deal to a ratification vote.
Cascade PBS journalists first unionized in 2019 and won their first contract in 2021. This second contract fight was about raising the bar and making sure benefits and wages reflect the value of their work. Congrats to the journalists in Seattle on reaching this milestone!
This May Day, we honor our past and fight like hell for our future! The NewsGuild was founded in 1933, when Heywood Broun called on reporters to unionize during the Great Depression. Low pay, long hours and corporate pressure pushed journalists to the brink, and they organized not just for themselves, but for the survival of a free press.
Nearly a century later, the stakes are just as high. From Radio Free Asia to The Hill to NPR to the AP, journalists are facing censorship, political retaliation, and mass layoffs. Managers are scrubbing DEI commitments, pulling critical coverage, and buckling under pressure from the Trump administration which has launched investigations into public broadcasters, blocked access to information and made it harder for reporters to do their jobs safely.
But Guild members are fighting back and we are committed to building power together — through byline strikes, defending journalistic ethics, organizing our coworkers, engaging the public and launching a national working group to take on the repression we’re facing. We’re also taking the fight to the courts and we’re winning.
This May Day, we remember where we started and why we can’t stop now. Here are a few historic photos from the long history of our fighting union.
In solidarity,
Jon Schleuss
President
The NewsGuild-CWA