Members of the Washington Post Guild announced they are conducting a 24-hour walkout on Thursday, marking the union's first work stoppage in nearly 50 years.
The union has accused the newspaper of unfair labor practices. They said the company is "refusing to bargain in good faith and breaking the law."
The union says it has been negotiating with the newspaper for a contract for 18 months, arguing that salaries have not kept up with inflation. As part of the walkout, the union has told readers not to engage with the paper on Thursday.
Nearly 750 editorial workers, including reporters, are affected by the one-day strike.
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"Because of our previous publisher’s mismanagement, the company has tried to balance its books by laying off nearly 40 people in the last year," the union said. "Then they offered 'voluntary' buyouts to another 240 staffers this fall. Now, The Post has threatened that if they don’t get enough people to leave, more layoffs will be next."
In response to the walkout, a spokesperson for the union said in a statement to Scripps News: "We respect the rights of our Guild-covered colleagues to engage in this planned one-day strike. We will make sure our readers and customers are as unaffected as possible. The Post’s goal remains the same as it has from the start of our negotiations: to reach an agreement with the Guild that meets the needs of our employees and the needs of our business.”
