This episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast featured Jon Schleuss, President of the NewsGuild-CWA, who discussed the recent announcement that the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette will close after a legal win for the union that was achieved through the courts, and what it means for journalists and local news in Pittsburgh.
Schleuss began by discussing the NewsGuild and its members' relentless efforts to resist the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s ownership’s attempts to undermine the union. The strike at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette lasted over three years, rooted in a fight for a collectively bargained health care plan. Despite the significant toll of the prolonged work stoppage and the owner’s willingness to spend millions on anti-union tactics, the union managed to secure victories at every level of appeal, culminating in a 10(e) injunction from the courts. This legal measure, never before granted under the National Labor Relations Act, ordered the company to cease its unlawful labor practices, highlighting both the resilience of the strikers and the extremes to which ownership would go to defeat the union, Schleuss said.
Next, Schleuss addressed the impact of the Post-Gazette’s closure on its workers and the Pittsburgh community. With the loss of this historic newspaper, which existed for more than two centuries, there is growing uncertainty about the future of local news coverage. Schleuss noted the need for viable alternatives, whether through new ownership or the expansion of independent nonprofit news ventures. He also touched on the broader wave of newsroom layoffs nationwide, with more than 45,000 journalism jobs lost in the last two decades, eroding the role of the free press in American democracy.
Finally, the conversation concluded with a look at the broader challenges and opportunities facing journalism. Schleuss expressed concern about the industry’s embrace of artificial intelligence to generate content, warning that such practices threaten the integrity and trust at the core of journalism. He introduced the NewsGuild’s “News, Not Slop” campaign, which advocates for transparency, worker protections and the responsible use of AI. Looking ahead, Schleuss discussed the potential for nonprofit and foundation-funded local news outlets and encouraged listeners to actively support independent journalism, whether through subscriptions or direct contributions, to ensure communities continue to have access to reliable news coverage.
For more from Schleuss, listen to the full episode of the America’s Work Force Union Podcast above.
America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.
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