Post-Gazette, unions resume talks
Contract negotiations between Post-Gazette management and some of its striking unions resumed Wednesday.
Five Post-Gazette unions, including the Pittsburgh Newspaper Guild, have been on strike since October. The company and the Guild have had talks since then, but this was the first for the non-newsroom unions since the walkout started. A federal mediator has been assisting.
Wednesday’s session was also the first since an administrative law judge from the National Labor Relations Board, ruled last month that the company had bargained in bad faith since 2019 with the union representing newsroom employees.
Wednesday’s talks were between Post-Gazette representatives and the Mailers’ union. Union leadership indicated there was no need to meet with the Teamsters, Pressmen and Typographical unions because of their shared position in the negotiations.
In a statement following the session, the company said it offered a 9% wage increase, plus enrollment in its high-deductible health insurance plan that covers 2,600 employees of Block Communications Inc., the Toledo, Ohio-based company that publishes the Post-Gazette. The company said the union proposed returning to the previous health care plan, but said beyond that no specifics for their proposal were provided.
Union officials were not available for comment.
The Toledo company, which also operates internet and other media services, has said it has lost $264 million over the past 17 years at the Post-Gazette as costs rose and ad revenue stagnated, and changes were needed to lower costs. Block Communications declared an impasse in 2020 and implemented the new health insurance plan for newsroom employees.
For the other four unions, the health insurance plan previously in place expired in October and was replaced by the high-deductible plan shifting more of the cost of care to employees.
The company statement Wednesday indicated that Block Communications Inc. and the Block family remain committed to continuing to publish the Post- Gazette seven days a week.
“We are grateful to all of our employees, and in particular, we are thankful that the majority of our journalists have chosen to continue to work. We take our role as watchdog for the citizens of Pittsburgh very seriously and feel that independent journalism is critical to an environment that attracts and retains business,” said Allan Block, chairman and CEO of Block Communications.
Just over 50 reporters, photographers and editors continue to produce digital and print editions of the newspaper while just over 40 continue to strike in a labor dispute that has deeply divided employees.
The NLRB judge ordered company management to meet for contract talks with union leaders within 15 days of its Jan. 26 ruling and to file monthly progress reports. The company has said it plans to appeal the ruling to the full National Labor Relations Board.
Contract talks with the Guild were scheduled to resume Friday.