Amid significant financial losses for the Washington Post, more than 750 employees initiated a 24-hour strike on Thursday, marking one of the most substantial labor protests in recent decades.
This strike coincides with the Post’s anticipated loss of approximately $100 million in 2023. In July, sources familiar with the newspaper’s finances revealed plans to cut around 240 jobs.
A letter from The Washington Post Newspaper Guild on Tuesday highlighted challenges in negotiations between the company’s staff and management regarding issues such as pay, flexibility, mental health, and layoffs.
“Management has refused to bargain in good faith and repeatedly — and illegally — shut down negotiations over key issues, such as pay equity, raises that keep pace with inflation and our competitors, remote work policies, mental health supports, and a buyout package that seeks to reduce our workforce by 10 percent.”
Our 24-hour strike has begun.
For the first time in 50 years, @washingtonpost workers are walking off the job because our company is refusing to bargain in good faith and breaking the law. pic.twitter.com/f9dqR0XXjD
— Washington Post Guild (@PostGuild) December 7, 2023
Leadership at the Post disputes the union’s claim that negotiations lack “good faith.” They maintain a commitment to reaching an agreement by the end of December, as reported by the Post.
One key point of contention revolves around the union’s push for a minimum salary exceeding $100,000 for reporters. In contrast, the Post’s latest proposal falls below $73,000.
“We respect the rights of our Guild-covered colleagues to engage in this planned one-day strike,” a spokesperson for the Post stated.
“We will make sure our readers and customers are as unaffected as possible.”
The Post has faced challenges in growing its paid subscriber base since the 2020 election. In the 2020 cycle, the Post achieved a peak of 3 million digital subscriptions, as per sources cited by the NYT. However, by July of this year, that figure had decreased to approximately 2.5 million.
“This is a declaration by hundreds of Washington Post staffers saying that if the company is to work with us fairly, it has to respect its employees,” steward for The Washington Post Newspaper Guild and climate reporter for the Post Sarah Kaplan stated.
“I know they will still try to get a paper out …
“But they can’t get a good paper out without us.”
