Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ceases operations in order to break union

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette owners’ decision to cease operations on May 3, 2026, comes after the US Supreme Court denied their appeal to stay a lower court order, forcing them to compensate striking workers.

Owners of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette have decided to shutter the 240-year-old newspaper after the US Supreme Court denied their request to stay a US 3rd Circuit Court Order requiring the company to compensate striking journalists who recently returned to the job.

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

“Post-Gazette journalists have done award-winning work for decades and we’re going to pursue all options to make sure that Pittsburgh continues to have the caliber of journalism it deserves.”

Block Communications, who recently shut down the Pittsburgh City Paper, owned the paper for more than 20 years and stated that they lost more than $350 million in cash during that time.

Journalists at the Post-Gazette walked off the job in October 2022 and went on a strike that lasted until November of 2025 after the US 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the company must restore health care coverage. 

Eugene DePasquale, Chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, described the Post-Gazette’s closure as a “gut punch.”

“First, as a union member myself, my heart goes out to the workers who fought so hard and have been through so much. We were so relieved to see the strike end, and for this to happen so soon afterward is truly a gut punch,” DePasquale said in a statement.

He added, “the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s closing is not only devastating for its workers, but a profound loss for everyone who lives in Western Pennsylvania. The workers of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the people of Western Pennsylvania have been failed. They deserve better.”

According to the News Guild, employees were told that the Post-Gazette was ceasing operations in a pre-recorded video played during an emergency Zoom meeting, which no company representatives or owners spoke at. 

“A free and independent press is vital to our democracy and civic health. The closure of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is terrible news for our entire region and Post-Gazette workers—many of whom just got back on the job after a hard-fought, three-year-long strike that they won,” US House Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Alleghny) said in a statement. 

“Remember, this closure came after the paper’s owners spent millions fighting (and losing) a years-long strike by its workers. The decision to close the Post-Gazette is a travesty and makes worse the already bleak media landscape in Western Pennsylvania.”