Post-Gazette, Butler Eagle granted temporary injunction against striking union members

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Butler Eagle officials have been granted a preliminary injunction against five unions involved in the P-G strike, after accusing them of throwing projectiles at company vehicles, puncturing vehicle tires and threatening employees and vendors.

Post-Gazette employees belonging to unions representing production, distribution and advertising workers went on strike earlier this month.

Newsroom workers, represented by the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, launched a strike Oct. 18 in protest of what they consider unfair labor practices by the company.

The Butler Eagle has been assisting the Post-Gazette in continuing to print papers during the strike.

Post-Gazette marketing director Alison Latcheran said that over the past two weeks, union members “and some of their supporters engaged in violent, threatening and destructive behavior.”

“Notably, the majority of these unlawful actions occurred in the late evening and early morning hours in the residential area surrounding The Butler Eagle’s facility,” she wrote in a statement.

Attorney Joseph Pass, spokesman for the striking unions, could not be reached for comment.

The injunction temporarily prohibits the unions, specifically naming their individual presidents, from engaging in mass picketing, blocking access to and from the company’s facilities and intimidating employees.

They are permitted to have groups of up to five people picketing at entrances, exits or ramps leading to company sites, but those groups must be in motion and must be at least 25 feet apart, according to court documents.

Latcheran said the Post-Gazette respects employees’ rights to strike, but union members and supporters “crossed the line and placed individuals at risk of physical harm.”

A hearing on the injunction is set for Monday, at 9:30 a.m. at the Butler County Court House.

Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh officials said their vote to strike was 38-36 in favor. The guild represents 101 total employees. Earlier this month, a group of about 30 employees crossed the picket line, according to union officials and a group of workers who are not striking.