Striking Pittsburgh Post-Gazette workers rounded out the week by bringing good cheer and information about the strike to the holiday market in Market Square.
A group of workers spoke to Christmas shoppers on Friday afternoon, passing out pamphlets about the strike and signing folks up to become Pittsburgh Union Progress subscribers.
Those workers’ efforts were highlighted in a WTAE-TV article and segment Friday evening.
“We are worried about [being on strike during the holidays], but honestly, through the strike, we’ve gotten so much community support, so much support from our unions that we don’t get when we are working at the Post-Gazette,” striking Post-Gazette reporter Ed Blazina told WTAE.
Striking workers were scheduled to leaflet again Saturday in the Strip District.
Later Friday afternoon, the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh’s bargaining committee met to iron out workers’ plans for upcoming negotiations with the company.
The next bargaining session is set for Tuesday. Three prior negotiation sessions have failed to end the strike, as the company’s representatives have rejected all proposals brought by workers.
And as the week wrapped up, the workers’ strike solidarity pledge was signed by more and more community members, elected officials and local groups.
Recent additions to the pledge include three of the five declared Democratic candidates for Allegheny County executive: state Sen. Sara Innamorato, Pittsburgh City Controller Michael Lamb and Erin McClelland, a project manager with the county Department of Human Services.
Other political figures new to the list include Pittsburgh City Councilman Anthony Coghill, who joins four of his fellow members, and Swissvale Borough Council member Abigail Salisbury, who’s running to fill a vacant state House seat.
And the Pittsburgh Anti-Imperialism League, the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, the Pittsburgh Labor Choir and Sequal Consulting are among the ever-growing list of businesses and organizations who have signed.
Those who sign the pledge are promising to:
- Refuse to speak to the Post-Gazette until striking workers’ demands are met.
- Speak with the Pittsburgh Union Progress instead.
- Ask their community to join them in canceling their Post-Gazette subscriptions until the strike ends.
- Urge others to subscribe to the Union Progress.
Alex is a digital news editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike.
