A leading American media outlet, went on a temporary 24-hour strike on the 7th (local time), demanding the resumption of labor contract negotiations. Washington Post Union's Epic Strike After 48 Years of Silence!"
According to WP, more than 750 reporters and employees began their strike early in the morning, holding a picket protest in front of the Washington, D.C. headquarters. They raised their voices asking readers to stop subscribing to news in solidarity. This is the largest strike in 48 years since the 20-week strike in 1975.
The union claimed that the management suspended labor contract negotiations for 18 months due to worsening management, and requested that the contract include a 'buyout' clause, which has the same effect as dismissal, for some employees.
WP has shown rapid growth since being acquired by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos in 2013, but its business performance has recently weakened due to negative factors such as reckless business expansion, the impact of COVID-19, and the decline of the media market. A deficit of over 100 million dollars (about 131.6 billion won) is expected this year alone.
The CEO position has also been vacant since publisher and CEO Fred Ryan resigned earlier this year. It has been reported that the company is recently in contact with William Lewis, former CEO of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), but even this is not feasible.
The biggest problem for the union is the buyout clause.The company believes that if this provision is implemented, it could have the effect of causing about 240 people, equivalent to 10% of total employment, to voluntarily leave the company. However, the union is protesting that this is a trick for easy dismissal.
Wage negotiations are also sluggish. The union issued a statement that day, saying, “Salaries are not keeping up with inflation and competitors’ levels,” and demanded that the minimum annual salary standard, which is currently around $73,000 (96.06 million won), be raised to $100,000 (131.6 million won).In response, the management explained, “We have already made our best offer,” and “But only 120 people accepted this offer.”
Previously, the rival New York Times (NYT) union went on a 24-hour strike last year and made a new agreement five months later.
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