The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filed civil contempt of court charges Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Post-
Gazette for refusing to restore health insurance coverage to striking members of Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh-CWA Local 38061 despite a federal court order compelling them to do so.
Newsroom workers have been on an unfair labor practice (ULP) strike against the newspaper since October 2022 in part because of the company’s unilateral change in health insurance two years prior. It is currently the longest ongoing strike in the nation. In late March, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit issued a rare injunction that ordered management to restore the health care it illegally revoked and return to the bargaining table. However, the Post-Gazette has continued to drag its feet for nearly three months, only acting to file two appeals on the order (which the court denied). With these new charges, the appeals court could now levy fines and freeze the newspaper’s assets in order to enforce the ruling.
“While NewsGuild workers pile up win after win, the Post-Gazette is continuing to defy federal law and play games with the court rather than give us what they owe us,” said Zack Tanner, president of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh. “Our demands to the company have been the same for years: Restore our contract, including our health care, and stop breaking the law.”
AFL-CIO Daily Brief