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WHEREAS, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ("P-G") is presently embroiled in a labor dispute that could culminate in the first strike in its 234-year history and spell the end of the major daily newspaper in our City, an iconic daily so venerable it reported on the adoption of the U.S. Constitution; and
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WHEREAS, a free, fair, and objective press, staffed by highly trained and deeply experienced journalists, is of fundamental importance to informing vital public debate on the major issues of the day; and
WHEREAS, recently, the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh Local 38061 and two other unions, representing 123 journalists and over 80 other workers at the P-G, have authorized votes to go on strike; and
WHEREAS, the P-G's newsroom employees have not received a pay increase in 14 years, and while newspapers themselves are experiencing financial hardships, the P-G's parent company, Block Communications, Inc. (BCI), remains highly profitable through related businesses that it built on the backs of its newspapers in the preceding century; and
WHEREAS, BCI has hired an out-of-state law firm known for its anti-union tactics, and management, through this counsel, broke off negotiations with P-G employees over 3 1/2 years ago and on July 27, 2020, announced the imposition of a contract that strips employees of essential benefits; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to this contract, P-G employees' share of health insurance premium payments would more than double, and insurance coverage of healthcare expenses would not begin until a P-G family has spent $3,000 in co-pays, leading to outcomes where health insurance for P-G employees will have an effective yearly cost of $10,000; and
WHEREAS, BCI is also seeking to do away with considerations of seniority in layoffs, a tactic that has been shown over the last 50 years to place older workers at great risk of losing their livelihoods; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to another section of this contract, BCI can now con...
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