Contact: Moira Bulloch (mbulloch@cwa-union.org), CWA Communications, 202-434-1168
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is facing the prospect of daily, compounding fines over its refusal to comply with a U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals order to restore the health insurance plan that it illegally took away from workers in 2020.
On March 24, the 3rd Circuit Court enjoined the PG to do just that. The Post-Gazette has repeatedly refused, and on Tuesday, the National Labor Relations Board filed with the 3rd Circuit to hold the PG in civil contempt.
Unlike in previous courts where the paper has lost for its numerous violations of federal labor law, Circuit Courts can freeze and seize the PG’s assets to enforce their assigned penalties.
“While NewsGuild workers pile up win after win, the Post-Gazette is continuing to defy federal law and play games with the court rather than give us what they owe us,” said Zack Tanner, Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh president. “Our demands to the company have been the same for years: Restore our contract, including our health care, and stop breaking the law. The Blocks and their company could have avoided this mess entirely, and now they’re going to be forced to pay the price of their wrongdoing.”
On April 29, the 3rd Circuit Court rejected two attempts by the PG to appeal the March 24 order. The paper tried to deny specifically its own picket line-crossing employees access to the improved health care, in addition to appealing the ruling overall. Neither attempt was deemed worthy of a response beyond rejection by the court.
Union editorial workers and members of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh have been on strike since Oct. 18, 2022, demanding the Post-Gazette restore the terms of the collectively bargained contract it illegally discarded in July of 2020. Those included paid time off, short-term disability, and wage scales, in addition to health care, among other issues.
Striking editorial workers continue to demand dignified health care and the restoration of their union contract.
In September of 2024 the NLRB ordered the PG to restore the 2014-17 contract, bargain in good faith, pay workers back for the illegal changes to their health care and wages, and not illegally surveil employees.
On July 7, a separate 3rd Circuit Court panel of judges is scheduled to hear oral arguments on the full enforcement of that order in Philadelphia.
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About The NewsGuild-CWA: The NewsGuild-CWA fights for justice on the job for journalists, media and nonprofit workers. As the largest union of journalists in North America and a sector of the Communications Workers of America, the Guild is one of the fastest-growing unions in the country—more than 11,000 workers have organized with us since 2018.
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.
