A kerfuffle that played out on Twitter resulted in a shoutout from the White House to the striking Pittsburgh news workers, as well as others involved in a wave of labor actions in the media industry.
This week, in or approaching the 35th week (eighth month) of five unions at the Post-Gazette being on strike, saw one-day or more strikes at news outlets across the Gannett chain as well as an ongoing one at Business Insider, the union of which (part of NewsGuild of New York CWA Local 31003) is on day eight of an open-ended unfair labor practice strike.
By publicizing a Business Insider story produced during the strike about a “manufacturing boom under President Biden,” the White House found itself crossing (digitally) the picket line. It got called on that by striking Business Insider politics/Congress reporter Bryan Metzer.
The White House responded by offering Metzer and the striking union’s strike publication a scoop and an apology that offered its support to striking workers at Insider as well as Gannett and in Pittsburgh.
In the exclusive statement, the Insider strike publication reported, “White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre additionally threw the administration’s support behind a series of strikes that have taken place at newsrooms across the country, including at Gannett and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“ ‘Across the country, we’ve seen a historic wave of newsrooms demanding fair pay and benefits. This week alone, journalists at Gannett, Insider, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette remain on strike,’ said Jean-Pierre. ‘All workers deserve a voice in the workplace, and journalists are no different.’
“ ‘Journalists make it possible for ordinary citizens to better understand their world, be active citizens, and question authority — it’s only right that journalists be able to do so in their workplaces without fear of retaliation or intimidation,’ Jean-Pierre continued.
“ ‘President Biden stands behind the right to strike and urges media companies and their workers to negotiate in good faith and reach mutually beneficial agreements that ensure striking journalists get the fair benefits, quality of life, and wages that they deserve.’ ”
Labor leaders helping with these strikes issued statements in support of the, well, support.
Susan DeCarava, president of The NewsGuild of New York, Local 31003 of TNG-CWA, said, “Our members at Insider Union are demanding that the value of their journalism be recognized by settling their healthcare ULP and agreeing to a fair contract. We appreciate President Biden’s support in acknowledging the necessity of unionized newsrooms to maintain a free press. I hope Insider management will come back to the bargaining table with an agreement that addresses our demands and that our members will ratify.”
Jon Schleuss, president of The NewsGuild-CWA who has spent a lot of time in Pittsburgh since the unions went on strike in 2022 and has spent a lot of time on other strikes and labor organizing, said, “I appreciate the President’s support for journalists in this moment when news employers are openly violating the law at Insider, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Gannett and other publications. Journalists are the watchdogs of democracy’s flame and deserve respect and dignity in their workplaces.”
Bob, a feature writer and editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, is currently on strike and serving as interim editor of the Pittsburgh Union Progress. Contact him at bbatz@unionprogress.com.
