The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s reporters, photographers, copy editors and artists authorized a strike in response to what union leaders describe as management’s unfair labor practices and negotiating tactics.
Members of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh approved the measure with an 88-31 vote by secret ballot. Only four members of the 123-member union did not vote, an official said.
“It was an overwhelming vote,” Newspaper Guild President Michael Fuoco told the Tribune-Review by phone Monday evening. “It shows that people are fed up with how we’ve been treated, and a strike is now a possibility — yet, it is not an inevitability.”
Fuoco said he hopes the threat of a strike will bring management back to the negotiating table.
“We want nothing more than to negotiate a mutually agreed upon settlement. Should the company refuse to rescind the illegal changes to our working conditions, return to the bargaining table and negotiate a fair contract for both sides, we are prepared to withhold our talent from the Post-Gazette, to effectively remove the newspaper’s heart and soul,” Fuoco said.
The Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh is part of NewsGuild, which is part of the Communications Workers of America. A strike must be approved by NewsGuild’s executive council, and by CWA President Christopher Shelton.
The union has not announced a date when workers might go on strike.
Representatives for P-G management and the newspaper’s parent company, Block Communications Inc., did not immediately return requests for comment.
The Guild accused the P-G’s management of unlawfully declaring a contract impasse last month while protracted contract negotiations were ongoing.
Management proposed cutting health benefits, severance packages and vacation time; making it easier to fire employees regardless of seniority; and eliminating the right to dispute issues through grievances and arbitration, according to Fuoco.
Employees were told they will have to start paying up to 30% of the cost of health insurance premiums starting Sept. 1, Fuoco said.
In an earlier statement, company officials said the PG is offering a pay raise of 3% in the coming year and up to an 8% increase during the next three years.
The strike authorization is the latest development in the increasingly contentious relationship between the 234-year-old newspaper’s staff and management.
In November, union members voted they had “no confidence” in the paper’s leadership and Ohio-based Block Communications. That vote was followed by a month-long byline strike.
The Block Family has owned the Post-Gazette since 1927.
Earlier this month, 14 employees took buyouts offered as part of an effort to shrink the P-G’s newsroom by about 20%.
“The path we take is up to the company — revoke the unilateral changes and return to the bargaining table and negotiate in good faith or face the consequences,” said Fuoco. “Clearly, the 234-year legacy of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is at a crossroads.”
