Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Faces Federal Injunction as Strike Continues

After 22 months on strike, CWA members at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (CWA Local 14827, Local 14842, and TNG-CWA Local 38061) were vindicated on Wednesday when the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filed for an injunction against the company for its unlawful behavior during and leading to the country’s longest-running strike. In the filing, the NLRB argues that the Post-Gazette has demonstrated that it will not follow federal labor law without a federal judge forcing it to do so.

If approved by a judge, the injunction would compel the company to pay press workers (PPPWU), advertisers (CWA), and mailers (CWA) for health care costs incurred as a result of the Post-Gazette’s bad-faith bargaining and unilateral changes to union members’ health benefits. The injunction would also require the Post-Gazette to return members of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh-CWA to the terms of their illegally violated 2014–17 contract, which includes the collectively bargained health care plan. It would also force the company to actually meet its legal obligation to bargain in good faith with all four striking unions on successor contracts and any agreements on health care, among other requirements of labor law that the Post-Gazette has violated.

“I’ve woken up every day for the past 22-plus months worried about making ends meet. I’ve been maced by PG-funded private security for simply picketing. I’ve had to postpone medical care as well as my wedding,” said Alexandra Wimley, a striking photojournalist and member of NewsGuild-CWA. “And while I’m extremely proud to be standing with my fellow strikers, fighting for what’s right, all of this could have been avoided if the company just followed the law.”

Read more about what the injunction could mean for the strike in the Pittsburgh Union Progress. Please also consider making a donation to help the striking workers as they continue to fight for a fair contract.

 
CWA Post-Gazette strikers celebrated the NLRB action to enforce the law and protect their rights.

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This post originally appeared on cwa-union.org.