Folks,
Greetings from the Burgh, where the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette just announced that they are going to close the longest continuously operated newspaper in the United States after nearly 250 years in business.
Is Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Closing a Threat or Real?
Earlier today, the United States Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal of a federal court of appeals ruling that would have forced the Post-Gazette to reinstate a union contract. The Blocks, who own the Post-Gazette, declared afterwards that they would close the newspaper in May rather than adopt the union contract.
The Pittsburgh NewsGuild denounced the announcement as union-busting at its worst. However, it's unclear whether the newspaper will actually close.
Under federal labor law, employers are only required to give 60 days' notice before closing a facility. However, the Blocks announced that in four months they would close. It’s not clear whether this is a threat to intimidate the union or whether the Blocks intend to keep the newspaper open long enough to sell it.
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato also offered to help facilitate the sale of the paper and find ways that local government could support news in the Pittsburgh region. News experts predict a strong likelihood that the Block will be sold to another buyer.
“ One would imagine any number of other parties may be interested in talking with the Blocks about possibly purchasing some or all of the assets of the paper. There are still a lot of open questions,” Penn State Media Studies professor Tom Davidson told WESA. “I don't think we've seen the end of this story yet.”
Help Payday Continue to Cover Western PA
With the Pittsburgh media ecosystem very shaky, independent publications like Payday in the region will be more important than ever to help fill some of the gap left by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s and City Paper’s closing. While we can only fill a small part of the void, we can continue to provide coverage to workers in the region, who otherwise wouldn’t have coverage.
NC Teachers Walk Out at 50 Schools
In North Carolina, today, teachers at 50 schools walked out to protest education cuts being enacted by the GOP state legislature. Activists say while it was just a one-day walkout at 50 schools, they hope it’s the beginning of a larger trend.
“We are networking with a bunch of other teachers,” Shoshana Goldberg, with North Carolina Teachers in Action told WNCN. “So, part of a grassroots organization is that we understand that we have to sort of take responsibility for making sure that we clarify what our demands are and that they’re heard by the general assembly, that we have the support of the public, of taxpayers.”
Netflix Animation Workers Unionize
Finally, the Animation Guild announced that they had secured another victory as Netflix animation workers voted to unionize. Earlier this month, the Animation Guild won victories at Dreamworks and on the NBC TV show Ted. From the Hollywood Reporter:
In the face of challenges from the contraction of the entertainment business and the rise of generative AI, The Animation Guild has pressed ahead with an aggressive organizing agenda. The union announced its organizing drives at Netflix, DreamWorks, and Ted in September 2025, and new union president Danny Lin has stated her intention for the group “to organize, to fight, and to win.”
The union’s top staffer, business representative Steve Kaplan, also suggested in a statement on Tuesday that his labor group isn’t going to take its foot off the gas when it comes to expanding its membership.
“We are continuing to expand our jurisdiction both inside and outside the scope of our Master Agreement as we continue to look forward to protecting the rights of all animation workers regardless of zip code,” he said.
For more, check out the Hollywood Reporter.
Alright folks, that’s all for today. Keep sending comments, ideas, and complaints to melk@paydayreport.com
