• by Melynda Fuller , July 31, 2020

This week, executive committee members of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh voted unanimously to approve a strike authorization election for employees of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The move follows Post-Gazette management’s creation of parts of a new contract — without the approval of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh.

The vote, which will take place by mail-in vote, extends to the Guild’s 120 journalists who work at the paper.

Should the mail-in vote receive a simple majority of members supporting the strike, the Newspaper Guild can vote to authorize, Pittsburgh’s City Paper reports. Following authorization by the Newspaper Guild, Chris Shelton, president of the Communication Workers of America, must authorize the strike and set a start date.

Prior to the move to vote to strike, the Post-Gazette ran a story “Post-Gazette Implements New Contract” without a byline, saying the new contract includes an 8% wage increase over three years and a better health care plan.

Guild president and Post-Gazette reporter Mike Fuoco told City Paper there is no new contract and ownership eliminated seniority, severance and worker’s ability to file grievances. Management has also forced members to sign onto its health-care plan. According to Fuoco, these are the reasons for the proposed strike.

"The strike will be on ownership's bad faith bargaining since 2017, the unlawful declaration of an impasse, and imposition of working conditions that strip all of our rights that have been negotiated over for the last 85 years," Fuoco told City Paper.