FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2025
Media Contact: Moira Bulloch, MBulloch@cwa-union.org | 202-434-1168
U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals Orders Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to Restore Workers’ Rights
On Monday, the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to repeal more than five years of worker rights violations and to compensate the workers who were impacted by those violations. The order, which enforces a September 2024 ruling from the National Labor Relations Board, reflects the longstanding demands of Post-Gazette workers. They have been on strike since October 2022. The Post-Gazette must now comply with the Court’s order. Strikers look forward to ending the strike and returning to work.
“Ever since Post-Gazette management ripped apart our contract in 2020, our union of journalists has been standing and fighting the lawless union-busting that we’ve been subjected to every step of the way,” said Andrew Goldstein, striking education reporter and Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh president. “When we walked out on strike in October 2022 it wasn’t just for us and our rights as workers, we were fighting for fair treatment for the future journalists in Pittsburgh and beyond. Today’s victory vindicates our fight and shows that NewsGuild workers will never back down no matter how long it takes.”
Though the paper has continuously flouted federal labor law for the better part of a decade, the combination of its workers’ strike and a circuit court ruling corners the union-busting operation. The Supreme Court, in practice, does not accept appeals of this kind. And Post-Gazette corporate brass, and attorneys, have long maintained that they would win on appeal in circuit court.
Instead, striking Post-Gazette workers — members of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh-CWA — are ready to return to work on the terms they have demanded throughout their three-year strike. Those include a restoration of the health care plan the company illegally took away without bargaining in July of 2020. The contract coverage was replaced by an inferior and more costly corporate plan.
At the same time, the Post-Gazette eliminated the guarantee of a 40-hour work week, gutted the collectively bargained short-term disability plan, took away some workers’ paid time off as well as the right to fight discipline from managers, among other issues. The imposed health care plan effectively cut workers’ wages by thousands of dollars annually by shifting costs to the employees.
“The Blocks shameless attempts at union busting failed again,” said NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss. “What the Blocks — and all owners like them — need to understand is that they cannot break the law. We are stronger, braver and more principled than any boss can possibly imagine. The NewsGuild stands ready to support every journalist and all of our members in whatever it takes, however long it takes.”
“Let this be a lesson to the bosses and the bullies who think they can starve working people into submission — when we stand together, we have the power, the tenacity and the will to win,” said Claude Cummings, Jr., president of the Communications Workers of America. “I am immensely proud of our strikers for their righteous victory today, and also of members and retirees from across our union and the labor movement who have stood in solidarity, donated, and sustained our strikers for three long years. When we fight together, we win together.”
Throughout the three-year strike, neighbors, union members and supporters of the workers near and far have provided invaluable support by rallying with strikers, standing on picket lines and directly confronting PG managers and owners for a fair settlement. Many have provided financial support —donating more than $1 million — and boycotted the struck paper.
Workers themselves have continued to publish their own coverage of Pittsburgh and beyond as the Pittsburgh Union Progress.
“It has been an honor to fight alongside my fellow strikers and to take care of one another for the past three-plus years. We had to do both to achieve this well-earned victory,” said Natalie Duleba, striking copy editor and page designer and Local Secretary of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh. “Striking this long is what standing up for ourselves and the many voices of Pittsburgh required. The relationships we’ve forged as striking journalists with each other and this community are invaluable. We plan to keep and strengthen them when we return to the Post-Gazette.”