Post-Gazette strike ends as newsroom turns to rebuilding

Catch up quick: About two dozen Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh journalists returned to work Nov. 24 after a federal appeals court upheld a ruling that the Post-Gazette illegally declared an impasse in union negotiations to impose its own terms.

• A court panel ordered the company to reinstate the terms of a prior union contract and resume negotiations, requiring the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to restore wages, undo health care premium increases and compensate workers for increased costs resulting from the changes.

The big picture: Former strikers are now focused on rebuilding newsroom trust and preserving union journalism in the region, says Post-Gazette copy editor and Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh vice president Erin Hebert.

• "A strike is like the labor equivalent of war," Hebert says. "It's the most extreme way to show your power as your last resort, so I think some people have had trouble shifting from that mode back to where we're at now, which is rebuilding."

Zoom in: Former strikers returning to the newsroom were unsure of how they'd be received, Hebert says. Inside the newsroom, things have stayed professional, she adds, with journalists juggling office days and remote work.

• Union members have met with managers and top editors to get up to speed after a three-year absence. Most are now back in their roles, some with shifted responsibilities as the newsroom has evolved.

Inside the room: A staffer who worked through the strike and spoke to Axios on the condition of anonymity because of fear of repercussions said non-striking staffers were told to work from home the day the strikers returned.

• Many staffers hired during the strike were told at hiring that they would keep their positions if strikers returned, the staffer told Axios. No staffwide guidance has been shared since the strikers returned, the staffer said.

The other side: The Post-Gazette is owned by Block Communications Inc., a media company run by twin brothers John and Allan Block. Block Communications and the company's lawyers did not respond to Axios' request for comment.

• The company is pressing to further appeal the court ruling, arguing it would be prohibitively expensive to the company.

Flashback: The unfair labor practice strike began in October 2022 with five unions and roughly 140 workers, including the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh. As other unions settled and dissolved — and newsroom strikers found new jobs, retired, or returned to work — only 26 newsroom employees remained on the picket line at its end.

Friction point: Some staff never struck, while others returned after weeks or months, citing a rushed and narrow 38-36 vote, financial strain, and doubts about a path to victory.

• This left strikers feeling betrayed and fueled clashes on social media and elsewhere — hardening feelings on both sides.

Context: Discontent among newsroom staffers had been growing for decades, as union journalists went without raises for years, culminating in a 2019 incident that eyewitnesses said involved Post-Gazette publisher John Block walking into the newsroom and threatening to "burn the place down."

The bottom line: Because strikers returned to work without a new contract, they're counting on the newspaper to reinstate their court-ordered employment terms until they negotiate new ones. Guild members say the company has yet to do so as it pushes to appeal.

• "The fight's not over, and we know that," Hebert says.