WaPo staff to revolt, stage walkout
WaPo Employees Plan to Turn on Company, Walk Off the Job
Hundreds of unionized journalists at The Washington Post are gearing up for a 24-hour walkout on Thursday after contract talks hit a roadblock with the publication owned by Jeff Bezos.
The Washington Post Guild, the employees’ union, has released a powerful video on X featuring Post employees expressing their grievances and pledging their support for the upcoming protest.
- WaPo senior publicist Kathleen Floyd: “I’m worth a fair and transparent pay process.”
- Copy aide Claire Healy: “I’m worth a living wage.”
- Video games reporter and critic Gene Park: “I’m worth raises that keep up with inflation.”
- Assistant editor Heben Kelati: “I’m worth equal pay to my colleagues, regardless of my race or gender.”
- Health and medicine reporter Lenny Bernstein: “I’m worth job protections that value my years of service.”
Kelati and Floyd emphasize that the year and a half of negotiations with Post management have left them feeling that the company is not negotiating ”in good faith.”
“Post Report” senior host Martine Powers reveals that the union’s definition of “good faith” is the company’s failure to offer a deal that employees consider ”fair.”
The video concludes with a call to action, urging viewers to write to the Post in support of the union and to refrain from reading any content published by the Post on Thursday.
Watch the video below:
Workers @washingtonpost have been in contract negotiations with our bosses for 18 months.
But the company is refusing to pay us what we’re worth or bargain in good faith.
So on Dec. 7, we’re walking off the job for 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/GCraL1I0nm
— Washington Post Guild (@PostGuild) December 5, 2023
However, the public response to the planned walkout seems to have fallen short of the union’s expectations. By noon on Wednesday, the campaign for letters to the paper’s management had only received about 3,500 responses out of the goal of 6,400, despite the video being viewed over 2.3 million times on X.
Furthermore, a quick look at the responses to the X post reveals no support for the union’s cause.
If you’re worth more than they’re paying you, then prove it and go get another job. If WaPo disappeared, the world would be a better place. I doubt anyone pays you more to be an activist pretending to be a journalist. If your goal was to garner public sympathy, then you failed.
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) December 6, 2023
If you are worth more than the company is paying you, you can find another company. You should not have to resort to shakedowns. The truth is that you lie about russiagate, climate change, even Dave portnoy’s pizza fest. Petty and useless.
— Gregg Re (@gregg_re) December 5, 2023
Make it longer than 24 hours. 24 days. Even 24 weeks. Make them feel it.
— BowTiedReactionary (@bowtiedreact) December 5, 2023
And my personal favorite:
So weird. I thought we were “better off”. pic.twitter.com/bB1q4caOPh
— Sarah Fields (@SarahisCensored) December 6, 2023
Fox News reported that the Post is projected to incur a $100 million loss in 2023, raising questions about where the funding for raises and other compensation improvements for union employees would come from.
An insider told Fox that Bezos, who acquired the paper for $250 million in 2013, is running the company more like a “conventional” business, which differs from the norms of the publishing industry.
“Bezos is so rich that none of this is mandatory,” the unnamed insider stated. “He’s acting like a conventional businessman running a conventional business. But is he, and are we? No one likes to lose money, of course. But the fact is, based on his net worth ($171 billion, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index), he could absorb $100 million in annual losses *literally* for the next 1,500 years.”
“So, what are we then?” the insider questioned. “An organization that has some value beyond what it can produce on the bottom line? Or just another business, subject to the same harsh financial discipline as any business? His actions suggest the answer is the latter.”
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What are the grievances of the unionized journalists at The Washington Post that have led to the planned walkout?
WaPo Employees Plan to Turn on Company, Walk Off the Job
Hundreds of unionized journalists at The Washington Post are gearing up for a 24-hour walkout on Thursday after contract talks hit a roadblock with the publication owned by Jeff Bezos.
The Washington Post Guild, the employees’ union, has released a powerful video on X featuring Post employees expressing their grievances and pledging their support for the upcoming protest.
- WaPo senior publicist Kathleen Floyd: “I’m worth a fair and transparent pay process.”
- Copy aide Claire Healy: “I’m worth a living wage.”
- Video games reporter and critic Gene Park: ”I’m worth raises that keep up with inflation.”
- Assistant editor Heben Kelati: “I’m worth equal pay to my colleagues, regardless of my race or gender.”
- Health and medicine reporter Lenny Bernstein: “I’m worth job protections that value my years of service.”
Kelati and Floyd emphasize that the year and a half of negotiations with Post management have left them feeling that the company is not negotiating in good faith.
“Post Report” senior host Martine Powers reveals that the union’s definition of “good faith” is the company’s failure to offer a deal that employees consider “fair.”
The video concludes with a call to action, urging viewers to write to the Post in support of the union and to refrain from reading any content published by the Post on Thursday.
However, the public response to the planned walkout seems to have fallen short of the union’s expectations. By noon on Wednesday, the campaign for letters to the paper’s management had only received about 3,500 responses out of the goal of 6,400, despite the video being viewed over 2.3 million times on X.
Furthermore, a quick look at the responses to the X post reveals no support for the union’s cause.
And my personal favorite:
So weird. I thought we were “better off”.
Sarah Fields (@SarahisCensored)
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