The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s union appears to be divided, with some employees claiming that the union’s efforts against management were never as “broadly supported” as it claimed publicly.
A letter signed by 49 Post-Gazette employees calling for new union leadership was released Thursday.
“We are seeking new elections for leadership within the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, following the union misrepresenting our prevailing views for many years,” the letter said.
The division comes roughly three weeks after the paper’s publisher, Block Communications Inc., announced the decision to shutter the paper in May. It followed failed attempts to convince the U.S. Supreme Court to halt a lower court order that required the company to make changes to its health insurance coverage for union workers.
The strike against the company began in October 2022 and became one of the longest longest labor disputes in American journalism.
On Nov. 10, a panel of the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the union, agreeing with previous rulings that the Post-Gazette bargained in bad faith while trying to agree on a new contract. Two weeks later, many striking Post-Gazette journalists returned to work in the North Shore newsroom.
“When the three-year strike against the company ended in November 2025, returning union members represented only about a quarter of the broader bargaining unit of roughly 100 people. The remaining three-quarters either resigned from the union and crossed the picket line in protest of the strike or joined the paper as new staffers,” the letter from people calling for new leadership said.
On Jan. 7, newspaper employees said they were blindsided during a company wide Zoom recording announcing the paper’s closure on May 3.
Block Communications Inc., which has owned the Post-Gazette since 1927, cited sustained financial losses, labor strife and the decline of the local news economy as the driving factor.
The letter also stated that despite the impending closure, Guild members had failed as of Tuesday to “address crucial issues” such as severance and instead announced plans to launch a competing and/or successor outlet.
“Those focused on things beyond the PG should not continue to represent those of us who wish to preserve it as constituted,” the letter said.
The letter continued asking for every member of the bargaining unit to be allowed to rejoin the union without roadblocks and then vote on new union leadership.
Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh President Andrew Goldstein declined comment on Thursday.
Some workers said that the Communications Workers of America Union “forced the Guild to vote on a strike,” which passed by just two votes and excluded dozens of members of the bargaining unit.
Guild attorney Joseph J. Pass told TribLive earlier this month that there was still a possibility the Blocks could sell the paper.
Signing members also requested that Block Communications to either sell or extend the date of the paper’s closure.
“We want to help preserve your family’s legacy and this valued institution, but we can’t do that if there’s a fixed date when our employment will end,” it said.
On Tuesday, the National Labor Relations Board filed a motion with the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals seeking contempt charges against the Post-Gazette and Block Communications.
In the filing, the NLRB said the request stems from the Post-Gazette’s “failure and refusal to comply” with a ruling ordering newspaper to rescind changes to health insurance terms and conditions for employees represented by the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh.
“Although the company has stated that it plans to close in May 2026, its announcement indicates it will continue operations for at least several months,” the NLRB filing staid “During that time, employees are entitled to restoration to their pre-existing health care plan. Moreover, there is no certainty that the Company will in fact cease operations.”