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.

Over the past few months, President Donald Trump has targeted the University of Virginia (UVA) with lawsuits and threats of funding cuts, with potentially devastating consequences for members of the United Campus Workers-VA (UCW-CWA Local 2265). While UVA’s governing board, called the Board of Visitors, has been rushing to comply, UCW-VA members have been at the forefront of campus-wide initiatives to oppose these attacks.

One thousand members of the UVA community rallied on October 22 to oppose signing Trump's compact for universities. UCW-VA members followed this action with a march on the Board of Visitors on December 5. The Board moved their meeting location to a nearby private country club, but they couldn’t avoid the scrutiny of UCW-VA members who took buses to the location. In response, the Board chose to end their meeting early.

Under pressure from Trump, UVA’s president resigned over the summer. CWA-endorsed Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger instructed the Board not to appoint a president until she had taken office. Despite this directive, and against the will of the University, including union activists from UCW-VA and the American Association of University Professors, the Board appointed a new president. The move sparked a backlash from Virginia legislators who pledged to reverse the decision in the legislative season. UCW-VA members and allies will continue to oppose these attacks on their jobs, their research, and the entire campus community.

United Campus Workers-CWA Local 2336 members rally at the University of Virginia to oppose the harmful actions of the university’s governing board.

Last month, workers at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) announced the formation of their union, “EDF Together.” Their union will represent the largest green, nonprofit unit in CWA to date with over 500 new members. They will join other nonprofit members, including those at the League of Conservation Voters Union, the Natural Resources Defense Council Union, Audubon's “Bird Union,” and Kimbal Musk’s Big Green.

A supermajority of union-eligible EDFers signed union authorization cards, a widely recognized and efficient way to signal workers’ choice to form a union. EDF management has, however, denied voluntary recognition of the union, and workers are now gearing up for an election, overseen by the National Labor Relations Board.

EDF Together’s mission is to champion the rights, well-being, and collective voice of EDF workers. Members seek to strengthen collaboration across the organization and ensure their relationships are effective, equitable, and rooted in trust. EDF works to advance environmental solutions for a just and livable world, and forming this union will empower staff to enhance that work at a critical time.

Members of EDF Together will join the Washington-Baltimore News Guild (TNG-CWA Local 32035).

Last month, CWA members at Comcast Corliss (CWA Local 13000) voted overwhelmingly in favor of ratifying a new contract with the company. The three-year contract includes base wage adjustments, annual wage increases, limitations on mandatory summer overtime, and increased training opportunities.

The bargaining team worked daily for eight months, whether at the table or in team meetings, to secure a fair contract. The biggest fights were over wages, flexibility in scheduling, and mandatory overtime, particularly during late summer and early fall.

Members, despite many of them working remotely, found unique ways to support their bargaining team, including unified responses to company surveys, holding local management accountable for any deviations from the norm, and voicing their dissatisfaction with management’s pace of negotiations. These efforts maintained pressure on the company and helped bring home the win.

“None of our successes during this round of bargaining would have been possible without the consistent support and solidarity of the membership in the Comcast Corliss Unit,” said CWA District 2-13 Staff Representative and Bargaining Team Lead Jon Remington.

On Tuesday, journalists with the SunSentinel Guild (CWA Local 3108) voted unanimously to ratify their historic contract with the South Florida Sun Sentinel and parent company, Alden Global Capital, offering improved pay and job protections. This contract is the first reached by journalists in the Sun Sentinel’s 115-year history.

The two-year contract includes the first across-the-board pay raises for members in 10 years, a $1,500 signing bonus, and the contract guarantees that no member will lose their job due to AI.

The SunSentinel Guild organized in July 2024 to address years of job cuts, benefits cuts, and stagnant pay.

Nurses at San Juan Regional Medical Center entered the holiday season with a big win, forming their union with CWA in District 7. The hospital, located in Farmington, N.M., is a community-owned, Level III trauma center with nearly 200 beds.

Despite a grueling anti-union campaign, intensified by the government shutdown, nurses voted decisively in favor of joining CWA. The organizing campaign was led by workers with help from CWA Local 7076 Organizer Lindsay Morrone and CWA District 7 Senior Campaign Lead Milagro Padilla.

The nurses will now turn their attention to winning elections at four smaller satellite clinics and to bargaining their first contract.

Congratulations to the nursing staff at San Juan Regional Medical Center!

CWA represents a sizable population of nurses and other healthcare professionals across the country, with a major campaign currently underway at Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca, N.Y.

Last month, Flight Attendants with Spirit Airlines voted in favor of the Bankruptcy Conditions ballot, protecting base wages, healthcare, and other benefits as Spirit Airlines restructures to avoid liquidation. Spirit filed two Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections within a year, in November 2024 and August 2025.

The agreement allows Flight Attendants to maintain control of their pay and healthcare instead of ceding that control to the courts, management, or financiers.

In a statement, the Spirit AFA Master Executive Council voiced optimism, saying, “We showed the company we will NEVER be silent. Hold your head high. You showed up, you spoke up, and you refused to be ignored. We have faced challenges before, and we will overcome this too, as we have in the past.

“Our fight to protect our jobs and our airline is not over. We are focused on securing our future with a financially healthy airline so that we can fly well into the future.”

In December, CWA Local 9413 President Marc Ellis partnered with Senator Jacky Rosen’s team to help select Nevada's top military service academy applicants for nomination. Those selected will further their military education at our nation’s prestigious military academies, including West Point and the U.S. Naval Academy. Ellis, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, was selected for his commitment to recognizing deserving future officers who demonstrate leadership and a willingness to serve others.

Senator Rosen is a longtime champion of working people and has been a trusted CWA ally. She helped expand the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program in Nevada, a potential boon to CWA telecom workers, and her team has been enthusiastic in fulfilling requests made by our union.

This partnership demonstrates how collaboration between labor unions and elected leaders benefits the entire Nevada community.