Pittsburgh Post-Gazette workers return to office after 3-year strike

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette journalists returned to their North Shore newsroom Monday after a lengthy, bitter strike.

Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh President Andrew Goldstein said he expected tension between management, returning strikers and journalists who crossed the picket line. The strikers entered the North Shore Post-Gazette building shortly before 10 a.m.

“I’m under no pretense this is going to be easy,” he said during a Monday morning rally before the return. “People are people. We are all human. We all have strong feelings on many things, especially this.”

BREAKING: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette strikers officially enter the building. ⁦@TribLIVE⁩ pic.twitter.com/1YS54kGvY9

— Megan Trotter (@meganktrotter) November 24, 2025

On strike for more than three years, the Guild members voted earlier this month to return to work. Their action follows a Nov. 10 federal appellate court panel decision in their favor.

The decision by three judges on the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals stated that the Post-Gazette bargained in bad faith while trying to agree on a new contract. The Post-Gazette said it would appeal that decision.

BREAKING: Post-Gazette strikers and supporters sing outside the newspaper’s building. ⁦@TribLIVE⁩ pic.twitter.com/30uZg9nUEJ

— Megan Trotter (@meganktrotter) November 24, 2025

Post-Gazette journalists, mailers, production workers and advertising staff went on strike in October 2022. Striking production and advertising workers accepted a buyout offer in March, the Communications Workers of America union said.

There are 26 strikers remaining in the Guild, which has dropped from around 60 originally.

During the hour leading up to return to work, the strikers rallied outside the building, joined by fellow Pittsburgh union groups including Starbucks Workers United and the United Steelworkers. Together, the crowd sang and celebrated.

“I’m anxious to get this thing going,” said Steve Mellon, a photojournalist who has been on strike. “Our tone when we go into that meeting is going to be we got to work together to rebuild trust in the Post Gazette and make it the best newspaper in Pennsylvania, and that’s going to be our goal. We hope the management will be our partner in that.”

While the strikers entered the building without incident, many questions remain.

On Monday morning, several people told TribLive they still had not received any communication from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette since announcing their plan to return to work.

“Are we gonna have the same beast that we had? What’s our role going to be now? We’ve not been in there for three years, so a lot of changes that have been made,” Mellon said. “There might be some hard feelings, but once we walk in … we’re on the same team.”