• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, October 28, 2024

The intersection between politics and publishing has become even more pronounced as this election draws near.

The NewsGuild charges that Vice Presidential candidate J.D. Vance crossed a picket line at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which is now going through what the union claims is America's longest-running strike. 

The impact on the election, if any, is unclear — it is unlikely that the two year-old strike will be settled by Election Day.

But the striking staff journalists are taking a continuing hit to their livelihoods, and one wonders about their objectivity concerning Vance when they return to work. 

“With less than two weeks before Election Day, J.D. Vance showed his true colors when he crossed our picket line to publish an op-ed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – a newspaper due in federal court in a matter of days to face the repercussions for repeatedly violating U.S. labor laws and the rights of workers,” says CWA District 2-13 Vice President Mike Davis.  

Davis adds, “Working people in Pennsylvania are watching to see whose side J.D. Vance is really on, and his actions today spoke volumes. Just like Donald Trump, J.D. Vance is a scab.”

Strong language.

In August, the union filed a grievance with the National Labor Relations Board against the Post-Gazette.

The action demands that the paper negotiate in good faith, and says that it has so far failed to do so. A hearing will be held Monday.

In April, the Teamsters local that serves truck drivers at the Post-Gazette agreed to return to work after an 18-month strike and to dissolve. 

We offer no comment on the candidate’s alleged behavior or position (nor on the strike(. But the union is not so shy. 

“By crossing our picket line, Vance has aligned himself with the lawbreakers who run the Post-Gazette,” says CWA President Jon Schleuss. And he also uses the four-letter “S” word.