In a fairly shocking development, one of the five unions on strike against the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has suddenly collapsed this week. Teamsters Local 211/205—the union representing the Post-Gazette's truck drivers and which according to WESA helped lead the strike—have voted to accept a settlement with the Post-Gazette. As a part of the agreement, they get severance but will end their strike and dissolve.
WESA quotes Joe Barbano, the business agent for Local 211/205, as saying “A majority of [Local 211/205] said we would take some type of a settlement, we'll move on with our lives. And that's what we did.” Barbano noted that membership in the local had gone from a high of 150 at the Post-Gazette to just 30 by the time the union went on strike in 2022. As of this week there were just 23 remaining members.
Response has been overwhelmingly negative, however—and it seems the announcement blindsided the other four unions on strike at the Post-Gazette. In the Pittsburgh Union Progress, NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss expressed extreme disappointment with Local 211/205. He is quoted as saying:
It’s beyond disappointing that the Teamsters would abandon their fellow strikers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. We stood with the Teamsters: in the cold, in the rain, in the snow and in the face of violent scab truck drivers and aggressive police. We will continue to strike and hold the employer to account. And we will never give up on our union or our members.
CWA District 2-13 Vice President Mike Davis was even more critical of the Teamsters in a statement today. He called Local 211/205 a "once-respected union" and went on to add that:
[Their] decision to prioritize greed over solidarity with their fellow union members is not only disappointing but also a betrayal of the values that we hold dear in the labor movement. By selling out in secret, the Teamsters have not only damaged their own credibility but have also jeopardized the possibility of a fair settlement for all the unions involved.
By far the most critical of all though are the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh. In a statement on Twitter, its president Zack Tanner expressed fairly straightforward contempt for the local. He stated:
[Local 205/211] surrendered, which is no surprise considering their principal officer is a former cop. Carl A. Bailey was tired of strike costs and cowered to power and ratfucked the other workers. Teamsters 205, under pressure from their not-a-worker leader, took a buyout package and decertified their unit. There is no longer a Teamster unit at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The strikers of 1992 would be ashamed.
Interestingly, he also alleged that the national Teamsters have also been absent to the strike—and that while Teamster locals have gladly supported the Newsguild, no money has come from Sean O'Brien or other leadership. (O'Brien has, curiously, found time to meet with Donald Trump and Teamsters International the money to donate to Republicans).
The practical effect of all of this is significant damage to the strike and its leverage. Tanner, speaking to WESA, estimated that the settlement would reduce the number of strikers by about 1/3rd. Anywhere from 80 to 90 people at the Post-Gazette were on strike previously, and now only 60 of them or so will be.