How to support striking Post-Gazette workers

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Post-Gazette journalists represented by the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh have been on strike since Oct. 18.

When newsroom workers from the Guild walked out, they joined their PG colleagues represented by mailers, typographical/advertising, pressmen and Teamsters unions, who began a strike on Oct. 6 when their health care was unilaterally terminated by the PG.

Why are we striking?

The Blocks — the PG’s owners — illegally and unilaterally imposed new working conditions on the journalists of the Newspaper Guild.

They cut our wages, took vacation time away our most seasoned workers, farmed out our work to non-Guild workers and forced us onto a health insurance plan that offers less coverage at a higher price.

What are our demands?

We demand that the Blocks and Post-Gazette management:

  • End the illegally declared impasse to contract negotiations.
  • Undo the unilaterally imposed working conditions and reinstate the terms of the 2014-17 newsroom contract.
  • Return to the contract bargaining table to reach a fair contract with the journalists represented by the Guild.
  • Meet the health care demands of our striking sister unions.

Why does this matter?

Post-Gazette journalists continue to excel, winning top honors despite uncertainty caused by the contract situation and other factors. The PG and its staff are recent winners of a Pulitzer Prize (2019), the Keystone Media News Organization of the Year (2022), other individual and collective awards for print, photography and commentary in news and sports coverage.

Like other essential workers, many of whom were forced into even greater risks, the Post-Gazette staff has worked diligently through the COVID-19 pandemic at no small chance of exposure to get our community as much public health information as possible. 

Meanwhile, Post-Gazette journalists haven’t received an across-the-board raise in over 15 years. That includes even basic cost-of-living increases — essentially meaning that the journalists are being paid less and less each year. A letter asking for a one-time cost-of-living stipend as inflation reached a 40-year high was ignored by PG management and Block Communications Inc.

The Block family’s insistence on wasting time and money instead of agreeing to stable working conditions has contributed to more than 100 workers leaving our newsroom in the past five years.

This exodus deprives the city of the journalism, information, respect and voices we count on. Because of the Blocks’ refusal to invest in local workers – journalists, production workers, advertising staff and delivery drivers alike – it is harder than ever to find the kind of accurate, timely and trustworthy information we strive to share in Pittsburgh. 

Instead, the Blocks have chosen to spend millions of dollars on an out-of-state, union-busting law firm rather than the local journalists who seek to serve and inform the people of Pittsburgh.

In what world would that money not be better spent on the people who fill, put together and deliver the paper?

How can I support the PG’s journalists in this fight?

  • Donate to the CWA Pittsburgh Striker Fund, which will directly benefit striking PG workers who are facing financial hardships over their choice to stand up for a fair contract.
  • Email the publisher of the Post-Gazette, John Robinson Block, at johnrblock@theblade.com and impress upon him the importance of ending the labor strife at his newspaper by reaching a fair contract with the Guild.
  • Cancel your Post-Gazette subscription until the strike ends, and don’t click on PG stories online.
  • Instead of reading the PG during the strike, check out our strike publication, the Pittsburgh Union Progress, at unionprogress.com. You can follow the PUP on Twitter @ThePUPNews and on Instagram @pghunionprogress.
  • Join us on the picket line, set up daily from noon to 5 p.m. at the North Shore offices of the PG (358 North Shore Drive 15212).
  • Follow the Guild on Twitter and Instagram for regular updates on the strike.

Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh on strike: Day 3

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Members of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh have been on strike for three days now.

And every single day, our strength grows.

On Thursday, we had our biggest crowd yet outside the Post-Gazette newsroom on the North Shore.

Striking workers on the picket line Thursday morning.

An ever-growing crowd of on-strike PG workers — joined for the second straight day by several new strikers — marched outside the newsroom, making their voices heard with chants like, “Fair contract now!” and “When we fight, we win!”

In addition to the workers, a host of local lawmakers came out to show their support and stand in solidarity Thursday morning.

Those lawmakers joined the picket line, posed for photos and had plenty of great conversations with strikers.

Pittsburgh-area lawmakers and officials pose for a photo on the picket line Thursday. From left: Allegheny-Fayette County Labor Council President Darrin Kelly, state Rep. Jessica Benham, Pittsburgh City Controller Michael Lamb, state Rep. Anita Astorino Kulik, state Rep. Nick Pisciottano, state Sen. Lindsay Williams, state Rep. Dan Miller, state Rep. Sara Innamorato, and state Rep. and U.S. House candidate Summer Lee.

In attendance were: state Reps. Jessica Benham, Anita Astorino Kulik, Sara Innamorato, Summer Lee, Dan Miller and Nick Pisciottano; state Sen. Lindsay Williams; Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor; former Pennsylvania state Auditor Eugune DePasquale; Pittsburgh City Controller Michael Lamb; and Deputy City Controller Rachael Heisler.

The Guild thanks these lawmakers for coming out to join the picket line and stand with us!

A few hours later, the Guild was delighted to formally announce the creation of the CWA Pittsburgh Strikers Fund, a solidarity fund created to financially support the striking PG workers.

Donations to the Pittsburgh Striker Fund are being used exclusively to assist striking PG workers and their families who are facing difficult financial circumstances. The fund is being managed by the Newspaper Guild of Greater Philadelphia/TNG-CWA Local 38010 and The NewsGuild-CWA.

The NewsGuild-CWA immediately contributed $10,000 to the fund, and additional donations to the fund continued to roll in throughout the day.

“A union is a family,” said NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss, who has joined the striking workers in Pittsburgh. “We stand for each other because we care about each other. This fund is in place to help those who hit extreme hardships so that we can take care of them.”

Guild member Steve Rotstein, left, NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss and others on the picket line Thursday.

Meanwhile, a small group of strikers once again headed into Downtown Pittsburgh, this time visiting the Market Square Farmers Market.

The group chatted with passersby about the strike and how the public can help to support the PG’s workers. They also snapped a quick group photo outside the Market Square Starbucks to show solidarity with Starbucks Workers United.

Striking workers and NewsGuild staffers pose outside the Market Square Starbucks on Thursday.

To cap off the day, a handful of striking Guild members attended “Off the Record” at the Byham Theater.

Those strikers set up a table in the lobby; spoke to attendees; and passed out handbills containing information about the strike, future actions and how the public can support the PG’s workers.

Guild members Melissa Tkach, left, and Andrew Goldstein take a selfie while Ed Blazina, rear, speaks to an “Off the Record” attendee.

When the show started, emcee Ken Rice made special note of what was happening at the PG — “a group that we all know is under tremendous strain right now, the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh” — which received a loud cheer from the audience.

Special thanks to former Guild members R.J. Hufnagel and Sharon Eberson Axelrod, plus all the other “Off the Record” organizers, for giving the Guild a chance to spread our message.

On Friday, striking Post-Gazette workers will be outside the North Shore newsroom from 9 to 5. Additionally, we’ll have a special announcement about our soon-to-launch strike publication.

This post was updated Friday with a more complete list of lawmakers who attended Thursday morning.

Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh on strike: Day 2

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On Wednesday — Day 2 of the Newspaper Guild’s unfair labor practice strike against the Post-Gazette — our striking workers formed three separate picket lines as we continue our strike against the PG and the illegal working conditions its owners, the Blocks, have forced on all of us.

Striking Post-Gazette members are joined by three union brothers from IUE-CWA Local 22 outside the PG newsroom on the North Shore.

The first picket line was on the North Shore outside the PG newsroom, where the wind and rain didn’t dampen our spirits in the slightest.

Members of the Guild were joined by Connor Lewis from the Washington-Baltimore News Guild, who drove in from State College; NewsGuild of New York organizer Nolan Rosenkrans’ twin brother, Sean; and members of the Allegheny-Fayette County Labor Council.

Barbara Vancheri, former PG movie editor and Guild member, also came down to offer support and cookies from Carnegie Science Center. Voodoo Brewery, just across the street, sent over pizza later in the afternoon, and the worker who delivered them voiced support for our cause. And three union brothers from IUE-CWA Local 22 stopped by with handwarmers — and to pose for a quick photo with us!

Striking PG workers form a picket line outside the U.S. Steel Tower in Downtown Pittsburgh.

A group of about 10 formed a second line outside the U.S. Steel Tower, home of one of the PG’s biggest advertisers, UPMC, and spoke to community members in Downtown Pittsburgh about our mission to keep the PG strong.

Striking Guild member Gillian McGoldrick, left, is joined on her one-woman picket line in Harrisburg by Spotlight PA reporters and Philly NewsGuild members Stephen Caruso, Kate Huangpu and Angela Couloumbis.

And a third picket line outside the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg was led by a single Guild member, the phenomenal Gillian McGoldrick, who was joined in solidarity by three Spotlight PA reporters and NewsGuild of Greater Philadelphia members.

Spotlight PA is also refusing to allow the PG to use its reporting during the strike. 

On social media, the outpouring of support has continued from labor unions and elected officials.

The Major League Baseball Players Association stands with us, and the United Steelworkers International Union and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union have pulled advertising from the Post-Gazette.

Guild members will be picketing outside the PG’s North Shore newsroom from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday. We will also be in Market Square from noon until 2:30 p.m.

Come join us and stand in solidarity with our fight to win a fair contract for all our workers!

Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh newsroom workers begin unfair labor practice strike against Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

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Newsroom workers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, represented by the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, began a strike against the company at noon Tuesday and kicked off a daylong action outside the PG newsroom on the North Shore.

Newspaper Guild journalists picket outside the Post-Gazette newsroom on Tuesday afternoon.

On Monday, the Guild sent a notice to Post-Gazette management to demand that the company end its illegally declared impasse to contract negotiations, lift the unilaterally imposed working conditions and reinstate the terms of the previous collectively bargained contract, and return to the contract bargaining table to reach a fair contract.

The Post-Gazette failed to meet those demands, and Guild members voted to authorize an unfair labor practice strike.

Longtime Guild member Karen Carlin speaks on the picket line Tuesday.

“We’re out here because we believe in this place, we believe in the journalism that we produce, the papers that we print and deliver to the community at large,” Guild President Zack Tanner said Tuesday on the picket line.

“Without the Post-Gazette, without the workers who produce the product, those readers go uninformed,” Tanner added. “It seems like lately, for the past five or six years, the Block family disagrees with that.”

The strike quickly received an outpouring of support from elected officials, fellow journalists and community members across the Pittsburgh region.

The striking Newspaper Guild workers will continue their actions Wednesday at noon, both outside the Post-Gazette newsroom and at the U.S. Steel Tower.

The Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh calls on readers, advertisers, business and labor leaders,
politicians and other members of the community to contact the publisher of the Post-Gazette,
John Block, at johnrblock@theblade.com and impress upon him the importance of ending the
labor strife at his newspaper by reaching a fair contract with the Guild.

Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh newsroom workers authorize unfair labor practice strike against Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 

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The newsroom workers of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, represented by the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, voted on Monday to authorize an unfair labor practice strike against the company.

On Monday, the Guild sent a notice to Post-Gazette management to demand that the company end its illegally declared impasse to contract negotiations, lift the unilaterally imposed working conditions and reinstate the terms of the previous collectively bargained contract, and return to the contract bargaining table to reach a fair contract with the 101 journalists the Guild represents.

If the Post-Gazette fails to meet those demands, Guild journalists will commence a strike at noon Tuesday.

“The workers who produce the Post-Gazette are taking a stand against the hostile and illegal treatment at the hands of John and Allan Block,” said Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh President Zack Tanner. “We, the workers, are standing together today, ready to fight to win back our contract and work toward signing a new collective bargaining agreement that preserves the Post-Gazette for the Pittsburgh region.”

The Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh has been in negotiations for a contract with PG management since 2017. The PG’s union-busting attorneys bargained in bad faith for 3½ years. On July 27, 2020, the PG unlawfully declared an impasse to negotiations, despite the Guild’s bargaining committee noting that negotiations were not even close to an impasse and that the Guild was willing to continue discussions to reach an agreement.

But despite that, the PG illegally and unilaterally imposed new working conditions on the journalists of the Newspaper Guild, cutting their wages, taking vacation time away from veteran workers, farming out their work to non-Guild workers and forcing them onto a health insurance plan that offers less coverage at a higher price.

The Newspaper Guild subsequently filed unfair labor practice charges against the Post-Gazette over these violations of their workers’ rights. Over five days in September and October, these unfair labor practice charges were argued by the National Labor Relations board in front of an administrative law judge. The PG newsroom workers are taking this action while anticipating a major victory coming out of this hearing.

The owners of the Post-Gazette, Block Communications Inc., led by twin brothers John and Allan Block, have spent millions of dollars to try to bust their workers’ unions rather than attempting to reach a fair contract with the writers, editors, photographers, artists, designers and other journalists whose hard work has provided the Pittsburgh community with award-winning journalism since the late 1700s.

If the Guild workers’ demands to restore their contract are not met, then journalists will strike, joining a picket line alongside their co-workers from the production, distribution and advertising unions, who are already out on their own unfair labor practice strike against the PG. The Blocks, as they did during negotiations with the Newspaper Guild, chose to bargain in bad faith with the production, distribution and advertising unions, and they chose to strip those workers of their health care plan rather than reach a deal.

“These journalists are just trying to do their jobs in service of the people of Pittsburgh,” said NewsGuild President Jon Schleuss. “It’s despicable for the Blocks to fight their own workers and disrespect their rights to have a union. They need to bargain in good faith now.”

The Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh calls on readers, advertisers, business and labor leaders, politicians and other members of the community to contact the publisher of the Post-Gazette, John Block, at johnrblock@theblade.com and impress upon him the importance of ending the labor strife at his newspaper by reaching a fair contract with the Guild.

Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh journalists stand with striking Post-Gazette production, distribution and advertising workers, will take actions in solidarity

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As the unions that represent the production, distribution and advertising workers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette commence a strike in response to the termination of their health care coverage and failed negotiations with the Post-Gazette and its parent company, Block Communications Inc., to reach an agreement on a new plan, the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh stands with these striking workers in their fight for fair, affordable and comprehensive health care to allow them to care for themselves and their families. 

The Post-Gazette’s failure to offer a reasonable health care plan to the diligent and experienced workers who sell its ads, make its presses run and deliver its newspapers every single week is just another reminder that the Post-Gazette and its owners, John and Allan Block, care more about pinching pennies than treating their employees fairly.

In conjunction with the production, distribution and advertising strike, the Newspaper Guild is announcing that its members will immediately begin withholding their bylines from any physical or digital publication and will undertake other actions to stand in solidarity with our colleagues. 

“The workers of the Newspaper Guild stand with the production, distribution and advertising unionized workers at the Post-Gazette as they fight for a fair and just health care plan,” said Zack Tanner, Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh president. “The Block family has shown time and time again that they would rather pay their attorneys outrageous fees than give the workers who produce the product one benefit at all.”

Guild writers, editors, photographers, artists, designers and other journalists will remove their names from their work to indicate that they support the strike — and that they will not stand idly by as their co-workers are stripped of their health care coverage by the Post-Gazette’s multimillionaire ownership. 

The Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh is asking the community to stand with the production unions at the Post-Gazette currently on strike.

Newspaper Guild members are all too familiar with the miserly management of John and Allan Block, who for years have made it abundantly clear that they would rather spend millions to hire high-priced attorneys from Tennessee to try to bust their workers’ unions instead of reaching fair contracts with the employees whose hard work produces the news.

“Two years ago, we decided to embark on a legal strategy to fight the unlawful impasse and unilateral working conditions that the Post-Gazette forced upon its journalists,” said Tanner. “While our National Labor Relations Board hearing is still ongoing, this union will be standing strong behind our union colleagues as they enact a major job action against the Post-Gazette.”

The Newspaper Guild’s last contract with the company expired in March 2017, and unproductive contract bargaining continued until July 27, 2020, when the Post-Gazette illegally declared an impasse to bargaining and unilaterally imposed working conditions that lowered wages, reduced benefits and stripped away years of bargained protections for the 100-plus newsroom journalists represented by the Newspaper Guild. 

The Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh calls on the community to contact the publisher of the Post-Gazette, John Robinson Block, at johnrblock@theblade.com and request that he end the labor strife at the newspaper. 

National Labor Relations Board issues complaint against Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/Block Communications, Inc.

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The National Labor Relations Board’s Pittsburgh office has issued a long-awaited complaint against the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and its parent company, Block Communications, Inc., for bad-faith bargaining and other improper conduct in its contract talks with the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh.

The complaint, dated Wednesday, April 27, 2022, and filed by NLRB Regional Director Nancy Wilson, said the company “bargained with no intention of reaching agreement” by “insisting upon proposals that are predictably unacceptable to the union.” It orders the company to attend a hearing before an administrative law judge Sept. 12, 2022 to respond to the charges.

This once again proves what Newspaper Guild leadership has been saying for years, that the company has acted in bad faith against the workers that create its award winning product, and that they would rather spend millions of dollars on an out-of-state attorney rather than the journalists who report the news.

The Guild’s last contract with the company expired in March 2017 and unproductive contract bargaining continued until July 27, 2020, when the company declared an impasse to bargaining and unilaterally imposed working conditions that lowered wages, reduced benefits, and stripped away years of bargained protections for over 100 newsroom journalists represented by the Newspaper Guild. Since then, the Post-Gazette has assigned work normally done by union members to managers and freelance writers, has denied earned vacation time to the most senior members, and has hired new employees at positions and wages not agreed to in previous bargaining sessions with the Guild. These actions have led the Guild to file a series of grievances and unfair labor practice charges. 

The company and Guild have negotiated a series of concessionary contracts in recent years and union members haven’t had an across-the-board raise since 2006.

“This complaint supports what we have been saying all along — the company has had no interest in reaching a new contract and has been out to break the union,” said Ed Blazina, the union’s acting president. “Now, it is time for the company to be held responsible for its illegal actions.”

In addition to bad-faith bargaining, the complaint says the company acted illegally by taking photographs and video of union members when they held rallies or demonstrations to express concern about the lack of progress in contract bargaining.

The complaint about bad-faith bargaining comes on the heels of a ruling late last year by a U.S. Circuit Court that the Post-Gazette and BCI illegally changed health care benefits during contract negotiations. As a result, the company had to pay members more than $100,000 plus interest to reimburse them for health-care costs that would have been covered under the previous insurance.

“Our great hope is that the company can see that the writing is on the wall and they should drop their outrageous attempts to break this union,” Blazina said. “Through all of this turmoil, our members have continued to do award-winning work, even winning a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Tree of Life shootings in Squirrel Hill. It’s time for this company to do the right thing and settle this labor dispute.”

The NLRB complaint can be found here.

Contact: Ed Blazina, 412-773-2242, pghguild@gmail.com

Post-Gazette Union Journalists Mark Five Years Since Expiration Of Contract

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Union journalists at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, represented by the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, on Thursday will mark five years since the expiration of their last collectively bargained contract, which was signed on October 14, 2014, and expired on March 31, 2017.

In order to commemorate the day, NewsGuild members will hold an “Unhappy Anniversary” action at 12 p.m. on North Shore Drive in front of the Post-Gazette newsroom. Members will then deliver an anniversary card to the newsroom that, among other things, lists the many accomplishments that PG journalists have achieved over the past five years, including a Pulitzer Prize and dozens of other national, state, and local awards.   

In the five years since the contract expired, PG parent company Block Communications Inc. has spent millions of dollars fighting their own workers at the bargaining table and illegally and unilaterally slashing benefits. Those benefit cuts included increasing the cost of and reducing the coverage in health care, cutting vacation time for the most senior workers, and reducing jurisdiction and job security language. To top it all off, the journalists at the PG have not had a collective raise since 2006.

This reprehensible behavior culminated on July 27, 2020, when the PG illegally declared an impasse at bargaining and unilaterally imposed work rules onto journalists at the paper.

“It is hard to believe Block Communications has been so willing to spend millions on out-of-town, union-busting attorneys rather than its own loyal employees,” said Ed Blazina, the union’s interim president. “In that same five years, our members have continued to do exemplary work, including winning a Pulitzer Prize, and providing award-winning coverage during the pandemic. It’s sad that we are five years from the expiration of our last contract and the Post-Gazette has yet to show interest in negotiating a fair contract.”

NewsGuild members have pushed back, staging public actions and rallies and filing multiple unfair labor practices with the National Labor Relations Board in an effort to get the PG to bargain in good faith to secure the future for workers and a strong newspaper for the Pittsburgh community.

“We hope that by highlighting the award-winning work of the journalists at the PG in the absurd amount of time that we’ve worked without a contract, we’re able to collectively show ownership that the workers of their paper deserve their fair share,” said Zack Tanner, Post-Gazette unit chair.

The Post-Gazette is a community asset that the Newspaper Guild wants to preserve, but reaching a fair agreement that benefits the award-winning journalists is paramount to maintaining quality journalism in Pittsburgh.

Newspaper Guild Of Pittsburgh Members Collect Reimbursement In Victory After Years Long Health Care Legal Battle

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Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh members will be receiving over $100,000 in reimbursement money, plus 6% statutory interest, from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette after a years-long legal battle over the company’s refusal to pay contractually obligated health care coverage increases that commenced in 2018.

This reimbursement comes after a November 2021 ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit which upheld a December 2020 ruling from U.S. District Judge Marilyn J. Horan.

“Saying this is an incredible win for our members is an understatement,” said Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh President Lacretia Wimbley. “Post-Gazette parent company, Block Communications (BCI), has gotten away with disenfranchising us from our contractual rights for far too long — this decision by the Third Circuit is empowering and liberating. 

“It’s sad and ridiculous that the company would rather spend hundreds of thousands of dollars fighting us. Now they have been forced to pay what they should have paid to begin with, and it has cost them much more than it would have to simply do the right thing. Many, many thanks to our longtime legal counsel Joe Pass and his firm, as well as our members and leaders, and all of our allies and supporters. Our union has been through so much the last several years due to egregious actions by BCI. Victory has never tasted so sweet, and this is only the beginning.”

Judge Horan’s ruling rejected all seven points the Post-Gazette raised when it appealed an arbitrator’s Dec. 30, 2019, ruling in favor of the Newspaper Guild. She ordered enforcement of the arbitrator’s order, which requires the Post-Gazette to reimburse members of the Newspaper Guild for higher deductible payments they incurred because the company’s refusal to pay insurance increases reduced the level of coverage for union members.

Judge Horan upheld U.S. Magistrate Judge Lisa Pupo Lenihan’s recommendation rejecting all seven of the Post-Gazette’s issues challenging an arbitrator’s award in favor of the Newspaper Guild on all issues. That included technical points such as missing the deadline to file an appeal and having no grounds to appeal an arbitrator’s decision, as well as the legal merits of the case because the Post-Gazette violated its contract with the Newspaper Guild by refusing to pay for health care increases during contract talks.

“This is a monumental victory for the journalists at the Post-Gazette. We are finally collecting money that the company tried to steal out of the worker’s pockets instead of doing what was right and preserving our collectively bargained benefits,” said Zack Tanner, Newspaper Guild Post-Gazette unit chair. 

The healthcare issue is part of an on-going labor dispute between The Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The union’s contract expired in March 2017 and the company unilaterally imposed conditions in August 2020, a move the union is challenging through an unfair labor practice charge before the National Labor Relations Board that claims the company engaged in bad-faith bargaining. Our goal is to get back to the bargaining table and secure a fair contract that respects the union journalists who make the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. We all deserve a local newspaper that invests in our community and empowers inclusive journalism that reflects our city.

CONTACTS: LACRETIA WIMBLEY
PRESIDENT
412-913-4083

ZACK TANNER
POST-GAZETTE UNIT CHAIR
412-475-8417

Point Park University Full-Time Faculty Union Unanimously Ratifies 3-year Collective Bargaining Agreement

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In an unanimous 72-0 vote, members of the Point Park full-time faculty union, affiliated with the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh Local 38061, ratified a new three-year collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with Point Park University.

Members of the faculty union — which gained a tentative agreement with university administration on Oct. 30 — officially ratified the union’s second CBA on Wednesday. The three-year deal includes minimum salary increases, progressive yearly salary increases for all faculty over the course of the agreement, new policies on leave for the Juneteenth federal holiday and other religious observances, and the addition of paid time off for parental leave.

“This is a good deal for Point Park University; it improves significant elements of our full-time faculty’s compensation and working conditions, and provides an important measure of stability to those who continue to labor mightily to help the institution adjust to the difficult circumstances resulting from COVID-19,” said full-time faculty union chair J. Dwight Hines.

“We now call upon the administration to rescind the austerity that was visited upon the University’s staff under the guise of the pandemic and to extend similar benefits, especially retirement and parental leave, to our colleagues.

The previous agreement expired on June 30, and, from June through October, the faculty union’s bargaining committee met 25 times with university administration to negotiate. NewsGuild-CWA, under which the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh is affiliated, submitted its endorsement of the tentative agreement on Monday. The Local’s Executive Committee unanimously passed a motion approving it on Tuesday. 

The new CBA, which goes into effect as of ratification and is in effect through June 30, 2024, provides full-time faculty members with pay increases retroactive to the start of the fall semester, and will see those raises paid out just in time for the holiday season. 

Key provisions of the three-year agreement include annual salary increases of 3.5%-4.25% percent; increases in the minimum salaries for all full-time faculty positions, with lecturers’ minimum salaries increasing by 12-15% this academic year; and four weeks of parental leave with 100% pay, with parents who give birth continuing to be eligible for short-term disability beyond four weeks if they are unable to work.

“The faculty union’s bargaining team worked very hard these last few months to reach this agreement,” said Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh President Lacretia Wimbley. “We came out with a CBA that is much better than anticipated. Faculty members gained progressive wage increases each year of the deal and for the first time, obtained paid parental leave. The team also fought to have Juneteenth recognized as a national holiday at the University.

“I say this often, but I couldn’t be more proud. Faculty union members, along with all the passionate students, allies and supporters, have truly exemplified what it means to stand in solidarity in the fight to be recognized, valued and respected by the administration. 

“This CBA proves what can happen when you stand together and refuse to relent. Hats off to the administration for working with us to accomplish this.”

In addition to the gains listed above, the newly ratified CBA gives faculty a greater role in shared governance at the university, as well as more input into health and safety matters.

The union’s bargaining committee consists of full-time faculty union Unit Chair Dwight Hines, faculty member Bob Ross, the Local’s Second Vice President Karen Dwyer, faculty member and former Faculty Union Delegate Ben Schonberger, faculty union Delegate Kirstin Hanley, faculty union Treasurer Bill Breslove, faculty member and former faculty union Secretary Barbara Barrow, attorney Steve Winslow of Jubelirer, Pass & Intrieri, P.C., PG Unit Chair Zack Tanner and Local President Lacretia Wimbley.

CONTACTS: DWIGHT HINES
UNIT CHAIR
(936)-615-4742
JDWIGHTHINES@GMAIL.COM

LACRETIA WIMBLEY
PRESIDENT
(412) 913-4083
CRETIA483@GMAIL.COM