Washington Post workers walk off job for first time in nearly 50 years: ‘We can’t get a good paper out without us’

Over 750 staff members of The Washington Post walked off the job on Thursday to protest the company’s handling of labor negotiations. They refused to work for 24 hours, marking the biggest labor protest at the company in nearly 50 years. The workers organized a day-long picket and rallied outside the Post’s offices in downtown Washington and invited readers to abstain from the newspaper and its website for the day in solidarity. The walkout was driven by a stalemate in bargaining with the company, which has left workers without a contract for 18 months, and by the company’s recent offer of cost-saving buyouts to staffers which workers found stingy and felt they were being coerced into. A company spokesman said they respect the rights of the workers to engage in the strike. The newspaper stated that it will print and deliver newspapers as usual on Thursday and Friday while keeping its website operational. However, the impact of the walkout will be felt as many staff reporters, photographers, and artists are withholding their names from their work. The Walkout comes amid internal leadership turnover and economic challenges in the media industry and demonstrates a growing enthusiasm for labor organizing within the media world. The walkout at The Post mirrors a similar strike at the New York Times a year earlier. Guild members said bargaining has stagnated on issues such as salaries and cost-of-living raises. The Post’s bargaining committee maintains that it has signaled openness and has offered “significant” changes to minimum salaries. The buyout plan remains a source of tension and anxiety in the newsroom. Last week, the company’s interim CEO said that only about 120 employees had accepted a buyout offer. The newsroom walkout also led to reporting challenges as a reporter covering a high-profile trial was absent during the walkout. Despite the challenges, The Washington Post story about the trial was published without a byline, attributing it to “Washington Post Staff.” So far, the company has remained confident that it will be able to operate smoothly amidst the labor strife.