More than 700 Washington Post employees plan to walk off the job Thursday for a 24-hour strike. Post Guild, the union that represents most of the company’s journalists, production specialists, and drivers expressed frustration over its ongoing contract negotiations with Post management in a letter to readers Tuesday:
For 18 months, members of our union, the Post Guild, have sought to negotiate a fairer contract for us all. But 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.
That push for buyouts, which the Post announced in October, has not gained a lot of traction in the newsroom—Executive Editor Sally Buzbee told employees last week that only 36 newsroom employees had accepted the packages. Interim CEO Patty Stonesifer told staffers last week that layoffs could follow if buyouts don’t work—the publication plans to cut 240 people.
The Guild asks that sympathetic readers refrain from interacting with Post journalism in any form over the strike’s duration: “That includes our print and online news stories, podcasts, videos, games and recipes,” it says in its letter.
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The Post hasn’t yet commented on the prospect of a strike, but a source close to Post management says the company doesn’t anticipate any disruption to its coverage on Thursday. If 700-plus people walk off the job, it could represent one of the largest strikes in recent Washington-area history.
Disclosure: Like the Post’s staffers, Washingtonian’s editorial staff is also represented by the Washington-Baltimore News Guild.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
