Newsroom employees, represented by the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, strongly condemn the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) to produce an illustration featured in the newspaper’s print edition on January 21, 2024. The union formally filed a grievance and information request with PG’s executive editor, Stan Wischnowski, on Monday morning.
Zack Tanner, president of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, expressed deep concerns over the Post-Gazette’s decision to substitute human labor with artificial intelligence. He emphasized that this move is not only alarming for journalists in Pittsburgh but also across the nation. Tanner stated, “As newsroom positions vanish due to corporate greed and mismanagement, we vehemently oppose any implementation of AI that displaces the work of union members.”
The introduction of AI in the PG print edition coincides with the ongoing unfair labor practice (ULP) strikes against the company, now in their 16th month. The ULP strikes were initiated by production, distribution, and advertising workers on October 6, 2022, following the discontinuation of their health care plan due to PG’s failure to make payments amounting to $19 per week per worker. Subsequently, newsroom workers launched their ULP strike on October 18, 2022, in response to PG’s history of bad-faith negotiations and unilateral undermining of their collective bargaining agreement.
Throughout the strike period, the PG has hired a minimum of 26 replacement workers to fill in for striking employees in the newsroom. The recent deployment of AI to produce content within the union’s jurisdiction further exacerbates the challenges faced by workers at the newspaper.
Jen Kundrach, a page designer and illustrator at PG who is on strike, criticized the company’s decision to resort to AI-generated images instead of utilizing custom art created by staff illustrators. This choice, according to Kundrach, demonstrates a lack of appreciation for the talent within the guild staff. She emphasized, “Rather than recognizing and nurturing that talent, they opt to devalue it and publish a substandard newspaper instead of engaging in fair negotiations with us.”
The demands for returning to work have remained consistent since the commencement of the strike:
- Terminate the unlawfully declared impasse in contract negotiations.
- Revoke the unilaterally imposed working conditions and reinstate the terms of the 2014-17 newsroom contract.
- Resume negotiations to establish a fair contract with the journalists represented by the NewsGuild.
- Address the health care needs of the striking sister unions.
On January 26, 2023, an administrative law judge from the National Labor Relations Board ruled overwhelmingly in favor of newsroom workers. The ruling mandated the company to retract the unilaterally imposed working conditions from 2020, reinstate the previous union contract that expired in 2017, and return to the bargaining table in good faith to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement.
Despite the favorable ruling, company attorneys expressed disagreement and intentions to appeal the decision to the full extent possible. The case is currently pending a decision from the five-member NLRB.
As the anniversary of the administrative law judge’s ruling approaches, striking workers will collaborate with other supportive union allies to address the challenges within U.S. labor laws and their enforcement, as well as strategize on securing a successful outcome for the PG strike.
Supporters are urged to participate in the event on Saturday, January 27, 2024, at the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers Union Hall, situated at 10 South 19th Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15203, in the South Side Flats neighborhood of Pittsburgh.
Zack Tanner reiterated the unwavering determination of the striking workers, emphasizing that the fight is far from over. He highlighted the commitment of the workers to continue their battle, advocating for a newspaper produced by union labor rather than artificial intelligence or replacement workers.
