Some Pittsburgh Post-Gazette workers to go on strike
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Some workers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette are going on strike.
Mailers and typographers, who are members of the Communications Workers of America Union, will go on strike at midnight on Thursday. They say they've been working without a contract for more than four years.
The workers are responsible for designing, printing, and distributing the paper, along with advertising sales and accounts.
They say the catalyst for the strike was the termination of their health insurance on Oct. 1.
Communications Workers of America says Block Communications, which owns the Post-Gazette, refused to pay an additional $19 per week per employee to keep up health care.
They say workers pay about $7,300 a year in premiums and a plan proposed by management would nearly double that amount.
"It is outrageous that Block Communications, a billion dollar corporation, refuses to pay a small sum to maintain appropriate health insurance coverage for these hard working employees," Communications Workers of America District 2-13 Vice President Ed Mooney said in a release Wednesday. "They have shown our members nothing but disrespect. Enough is enough. We will stay on strike until the Post-Gazette recognizes our value to the paper and stops violating our rights."
KDKA-TV has reached out to Block Communications for comment.