Post-Gazette union warns of sweeping layoffs, alleges targeting of strikers

The following message was sent to supporters by Andrew Goldstein, president of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, on the morning of [date]. It reflects the union’s perspective on recent developments at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. E&P has not independently verified all claims.

Dear VND City,

You will not recognize the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette next week.

At least a third of newsroom workers are losing their jobs. We expect that figure to climb to closer to half. The cuts are severe. They are a brazen, discriminatory attempt at busting our union by the PG's incoming owners, the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism. And it is devastating — both for the people of Pittsburgh overall, and us.

Coverage areas from high school sports to the arts are being decimated. The photo department and copy desk are getting deeply slashed. No department has been spared, apart from upper management.

Within the overall job losses, the new owners have decided to get rid of 80% of the former strikers  The journalists who sacrificed so much to hold power to account are precisely the people they prioritized discarding.

Though we had cautiously high hopes for the Institute, all that its leadership has saved at the PG is the management structure that led the publication to infamy over the past several years.

The U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. Supreme Court, and Donald Trump’s Solicitor General all agreed that the PG went too far in its violations of our rights, making Pittsburgh’s paper of record one of the most lawless union-busting operations in the entire country. The Institute’s first move was to keep hold of the people who ran that operation.

It is also apparent that the Institute prioritized ending the PG careers of strikers, and disproportionately, retaining people who crossed the picket line. All strikers are accounted for. Five were offered jobs. The retention rates are not close. The gap only grows as we confirm more offers.

Shortly after coming to town, Stewart Bainum Jr., the Choice Hotels magnate and chair of the Institute, went on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” When asked to respond to concerns that he might be union-busting at the PG he said, “There’s no intention.” He lied.

We fight back. Because Pittsburgh deserves better than news made by liars, and Pittsburgh deserves to own its stories.

That is why our project, the Pittsburgh Alliance for People-Empowered Reporting (PAPER), is preparing a worker- and community-owned daily news publication.

These cuts at the Post-Gazette will have a major impact on the already shrinking amount of news that gets covered in the region. In light of Thursday's events, we have no confidence that what remains will properly serve the needs of the people.

• Will you donate to PAPER today to help us refine the cooperative vision you’ve shared with us, and scale up toward an actual newsgathering operation of our own?

We know the damage done by the Blocks, for years, and the Venetoulis Institute, in a day, cannot be undone overnight. Our business planning reflects that reality.

But it also tells us that we don’t have to let duplicitous actors have the last word on what happens to Pittsburgh news.

We can forge our own futures together. Today, you can help —  with a donation to PAPER as well as by signing up to attend our May 13th town hall at the Homestead United Presbyterian Church.

Together, we can do anything except give up.

Solidarity Forever,

Andrew Goldstein
Post-Gazette education reporter
President, Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh
TNG-CWA Local 38061