Three years ago tomorrow the journalists of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh went on an unfair labor practice strike at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. While they withheld their labor at the paper, they kept telling stories in the Pittsburgh Union Progress. To mark three years on strike, they’re asking each other to share their thoughts about their fight for a fair contract. I wanted to run two profiles in full, which were originally published in the PUP. Other news from around our union follows below.
I’m handing over the top of our newsletter to Striking Post-Gazette workers Rick Davis and Alexandra Wimley.
He said, ‘No more’
After three years on strike, it’s natural to wonder if you made the right decision. Sacrificing so much time affects many aspects of your life — I’ve even taken a big hit on my Social Security that I just won’t be able to recoup. Every day, I weigh whether my choice was best for me and my wife, and question whether it’s time to give up and go back to work. But like running 25 miles of a marathon, you don’t stop just short of the goal. Whatever challenges come up, you push through to reach the finish line.
I look at it as a big picture thing. Why did I do this? How did I get here? I keep going back to that one day, three decades ago. I was at a Saturday afternoon house party. I got a plate of food and sat down on an empty couch and an elderly man sat down next to me. Everything about him was unassuming — imagine the grandfather from the Waltons. I was almost expecting him to reach into his pocket and pull out a Werther’s Original candy for me. I got that kind of vibe from him.
Among the conversations about current events and the fate of the Pirates, he asked about my career and why I chose journalism — questions you wouldn’t expect from a stranger at a party. But he seemed genuine. Partway through, he introduced himself as Bill Block, and I realized I was sitting next to the owner and publisher of the Post-Gazette.
People often mention life’s crossroads — the small moments that change everything, like catching a green light instead of a red light at that intersection. For me, meeting this person entirely shifted my career perspective. It was never my dream or goal to work at the PG. I was content as sports editor at the Butler Eagle. But after that party, I realized I wanted to work for Mr. Block at the PG.
A few years later, I had the opportunity to join the PG, and I jumped at it. It turned out to be everything I thought it would be. People took pride in producing one of the best newspapers in the country. We all felt like we were working for a company that cared about its employees. It was all a reflection of Bill Block.
That changed when he died in 2005. The company began to show that it only cared about its bottom line. Morale took a dive. Year after year we went without a pay raise, not even a cost-of-living raise. Then we took a pay cut. We lost vacation days, sick days. Increased costs in our health care came out of our pockets. The last several months leading up to the strike in October of 2022 were the worst I’ve experienced, and I’ve been at the newspaper for 28 years. The newsroom became poisonous.
It’s been three years since I walked out of the PG newsroom. Quite often I think about my chance meeting with Mr. Block back in the 1990s. That summer day defined my career. What if I didn’t go to that party and never met him? It also remains a source of sadness. I watched the dismantling of the once-proud newsroom he built. By striking, I said, “No more.” I think Mr. Block would be proud.
— Rick Davis, sports editor on strike
She’s no longer a ‘yes man’
Three years ago, I would have dropped anything and everything in my life for work. I was very much a “yes man.” Cancel plans to pick up a Saturday morning shift? Yes. Run out to cover breaking news at 11 p.m. on my night off? Yes. And, honestly, I was happy to do it because I love the work.
That hasn’t changed. But the day we went on strike was the first time I ever really said no to my boss, my company, my job, my career.
For many months after the strike began, I felt like I had suffered a loss. My main source of meaning and validation was stripped from me in a way over which I had little control. Ultimately, my life had revolved around work. So I had to rebuild a more balanced system.
I went through all of the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression. And now, I’ve come to a place of acceptance. I accept my life being a bit slower. I accept a new version of fulfillment that doesn’t often look like the standard societal definition.
And at the end of the day, what the strike is all about for me is, I don’t want the next generation of journalists to think they have to accept scraps and just scrape by in life to succeed in their career.
— Alexandra Wimley, photojournalist on strike
We’re still waiting for the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals to rule on our case. There are two issues sitting with three judges: enforcing the National Labor Relations Board order and ruling on contempt charges for the Post-Gazette’s violation of a rare injunction. The judges heard arguments this summer. We are still waiting for justice.
Yesterday a banner on a bridge and downtown Pittsburgh made it clear:
POST-GAZETTE STRIKERS WILL WIN
Today, I’m again donating to our strikers. Will you join me on the third anniversary of our strike?
(Steve Mellon/Pittsburgh Union Progress)
A federal judge barred the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from brutalizing journalists and protestors in an order last week. The temporary restraining order came just days after the lawsuit was filed by several groups including the Chicago News Guild, NABET-CWA Local 41, the Chicago Headline Club and others.
“This is good news, and it would not have happened if we had not stood up for our members alongside the unionized journalists of NABET Local 41, the Chicago Headline Club, Block Club Chicago and others in a federal lawsuit,” said Andy Grimm, president of The Chicago News Guild.
Just 15 people are left covering the Pentagon from inside the building after the U.S. Department of Defense required journalists to sign onto a new policy in order to retain press badges. In an act of solidarity in support of a free press, journalists from nearly every major U.S. news outlet turned in their badges on Wednesday. The new rules would prohibit journalists from soliciting any information that the government doesn’t authorize reporters to have.
The Pentagon Press Association told the Washington Post that most of its members had not signed on to the new policy “over its implicit threat of criminalizing national security reporting and exposing those who sign it to potential prosecution.”
It’s another effort by the Trump administration to limit a free press. But it’s not going to stop journalists. The Defense Department will still be covered. The NewsGuild-CWA stands with the journalists at the Pentagon who stuck by their journalistic ethics and demanded independence to cover the largest military on the planet.
The Washington Post wrongfully fired award-winning columnist Karen Attiah after her social media posts following the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Management’s actions directly contradict the Post’s own policies, which explicitly protect opinion journalists, and violate the rights guaranteed under the Post Guild’s contract.
Staff and readers are demanding answers, while company management remains silent. Karen deserves better — and so do readers. Tell Publisher Will Lewis and Opinions Editor Adam O’Neal to respect the Guild and the rights of all of its workers — regardless of political expedience.
The New York City Council will soon vote on a resolution condemning the predatory practices of Alden Global Capital, which owns the New York Daily News.
The resolution urges the hedge fund to reach a fair contract with our members at the Daily News. Workers are fighting for fair pay, job security and a sustainable newsroom as Alden slashes staff and resources.
As bargaining drags on, workers at the Daily News have taken their fight directly to Alden executive Heath Freeman, showing up outside SLT Studios – the pilates chain he owns with his sister – to demand accountability. Our members exposed how Freeman’s business empire grows while Alden continues to starve the Daily News.
Stand with our members and tell management to deliver a fair contract.
Workers at the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition have ratified a first union contract, securing a 4-day workweek, guaranteed annual raises, fully paid health coverage, the right to work remotely and strong severance protections. The contract runs through 2027 and covers about five dozen workers.
“This contract is hard won,” said Operations Associate Aiko Fukuchi. “Every member of our unit has their hands on these pages.”
Journalists at the Los Angeles Times have authorized an open-ended strike, with an overwhelming majority voting to call a strike if leaders agree it’s necessary to reach a new contract. My home paper has been bargaining over a new contract for more than three years and the company has cut staff from 450 in 2022 to just over 200 today.
“These negotiations have dragged on for far too long, and today’s vote results show that our members are fed up,” said Matt Hamilton, chair of the L.A. Times Guild and a Pulitzer Prize winning investigative reporter. “Now is the time for management to come to the table with a proposal that is truly fair for our members and helps restore The Times.” See what our members are fighting for.
ProPublica members used baked goods to pressure management to follow the law and agree to a fair contract. Last week journalists brought apple cake into the office, remembering a beloved colleague terminated by management’s inconsistent disciplinary process. They called on management to agree to job security protections. And on Wednesday they followed up by delivering a petition signed by 1,300 readers and supporters. The time for a fair contract is now.
We’ve got several events coming up:
The NewsGuild-CWA Executive Council will meet at 6 p.m. ET on Monday, October 20. Only NewsGuild-CWA members can join and observe. Register here.
The Nonprofit Labor Caucus Townhall is at 8 p.m. ET on October 22 and will bring folks from the Trevor Project and other unionized nonprofit organizations together to discuss how we protect each other against the Trump administration’s recent NSPM-7 order, which will empower the administration to go after nonprofits that are critical of it. Register here.
Strike School is from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, October 25 and continues our annual training, bringing together members who’ve been on strike. Learn practical skills necessary to prepare your colleagues and develop an escalation plan. Register here.
The ‘Steward Training Module 5: A Union Representative’ is at 7 p.m. ET on October 30 and will help members build confidence in asserting your rights and contract, then role-play through Weingarten and grievance meetings. Join us by registering here!
Solidarity,
Jon Schleuss
President, The NewsGuild-CWA