Journalist Strike Approved At Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - A strike vote at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has been unanimously approved by the NewsGuild.
The Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh said Monday that its parent union, NewsGuild-CWA, announced it unanimously approved a strike vote on Friday.
The @newsguild Executive Council has unanimously endorsed our strike authorization vote. We now continue our strike preparations and prepare to present a plan to the Communications Workers of America Executive Board for approval. https://t.co/ZBkgz59J5n
— Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh ???? (@PGHGuild) September 14, 2020
For more than two centuries, the Post-Gazette has been a respected Pittsburgh newspaper. But recently, they've made national headlines following allegations of racism, harassment and unfair labor practices by management.
"The staff of the Post-Gazette was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, journalism's top honor, in 2019 for its coverage of the Tree of Life massacre," said NewsGuild Executive Vice President Marian Needham in a statement. "And what's their reward? An unrelenting assault on the bargaining process, their contract and their careers by Post-Gazette management."
The strike vote was prompted after the Post-Gazette declared an impasse in the negotiations and implemented parts of their final offer.
The Post-Gazette, which partners with KDKA-TV, said it implemented certain portions of its final offer including wage increases totaling 8 percent over three years and said employees will now participate in the company's insurance plans.
But guild leadership has told KDKA the raise doesn't nearly cover the pay cuts they've taken over the past 15 years or the increased costs of health insurance.
Monday is also the first day for Stan Wischnowski, who resigned from the Philadelphia Inquirer in June.