The National Labor Relations Board filed an injunction against the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Wednesday, asking a judge to force the company back to the bargaining table. A group of employees have been on strike for nearly two years.
In a federal court filing, the NLRB argued that the Post-Gazette has repeatedly violated federal labor laws.
Without an order from a judge, “it may fairly be anticipated that PPG will continue its unlawful conduct,” attorneys wrote.
The injunction asks that a judge compel the Post-Gazette to return to good faith negotiations with all four striking unions and rescind the “unilateral changes” made to the previous collective bargaining agreement, which was in effect from 2014 to 2017.
If a judge approves the injunction, it would be a major win for the nearly 60 workers who remain on strike.
At a press conference Thursday afternoon, striking photojournalist Steve Mellon said the injunction could help hold the news operation to account.
“The Post-Gazette could have settled this at any point, even before the strike, by respecting us and our rights as workers and simply by following labor law,” Mellon told a crowd of supporters gathered outside the Post-Gazette’s North Shore offices. “Failure to do so has consequences.”
But the news organization appears unlikely to give up their fight. Allison Latcheran, the director of marketing for the Post-Gazette said the suit “is being reviewed by management but appears to be contrary to a recent NLRB Administrative Law Judge’s decision. The Administrative Law Judge found that the Post-Gazette bargained in good faith over healthcare.”
She declined further comment, citing pending litigation.
Union officials contest that characterization and say a federal administrative law judge ordered the Post-Gazette to bargain in good faith in 2023, but the company has “refused to comply.”
If a judge were to grant the injunction, the Post-Gazette could appeal. But failure to follow the judge’s ruling could lead to contempt charges, or what the Communications Workers of America described as “exponentially multiplying fines, and the risk of owners and executives being detained.”
The NLRB has won more than 74% of the injunction cases it has brought since 2012.
Jim “Hutchie” VanLandingham, a third generation Post-Gazette employee, said the NLRB’s filing brought a renewed energy to the strike.
“Hopefully we can all work together and come to some sort of an amicable agreement that we can all be happy with. And we can all get back to work. And do what we love to do,” he said.
According to the CWA, the ongoing strike is believed to be one of the longest in Pittsburgh and American history.
