Photo credit: Steve Mellon, Pittsburgh Union Progress, member of TNG-CWA Local 38061.

After years of wasting millions of dollars losing court battles in attempts to deny their workers' basic rights, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PG) announced on Wednesday afternoon that it would be shutting down the 240-year-old newspaper in May.

A few hours before, the U.S. Supreme Court slapped down the company's attempt to evade a court order to restore a union-negotiated health care plan.

Employees were told the paper was closing down in a pre-recorded video played during an emergency meeting via Zoom, at which no company representatives spoke live.

"Instead of simply following the law, the owners chose to punish local journalists and the city of Pittsburgh," said Andrew Goldstein, president of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh (TNG-CWA Local 38061).

The announcement follows the newspaper publisher losing a nearly decade-long attempt to bust unions at the paper. Workers went on strike for more than three years over the company's illegal behavior. The strike followed more than 20 years in which workers did not receive any across-the-board wage increases as they bargained in the spirit of shared sacrifice to sustain the paper and continue providing news for Pittsburgh readers.

Throughout bargaining, the PG has racked up legal fees that would've paid for the costs of workers' proposals several times over. In a November court ruling, the PG was ordered to pay back all bargaining unit employees for the costs the paper illegally passed onto them. That liability will not go away with the closure of the paper.

TNG-CWA members have vowed to pursue all options to make sure that Pittsburgh continues to have the caliber of journalism it deserves. The workers are asking supporters to sign a pledge vowing to support a future vision for daily, local journalism in Pittsburgh-whether that be the PG under new ownership, a revival of the Pittsburgh Union Progress, or something else altogether.