One Saturday afternoon a long time ago, one of the (formerly) striking Teamsters stood up at the end of an all-union meeting. He said they really needed support during late-night pickets at GVP, a paper distribution site. He said it was demoralizing to be outnumbered 🧵

by the PG’s private security, the rent-a-cops and off-duty officers. He asked for people from all striking unions to come and bolster the picket line. You know what happened? erin 🐻 is on strike came up to me at the end of the meeting and asked “GVP tonight?” It was a print night,

which meant a picket was happening. So the NewsGuild strikers showed up. In numbers. And we kept on showing up, on Wednesday and Saturday nights in the cold, wind and rain. We did what we did best (and what we’ve been doing since joining the Teamsters on strike) — organize.

We rallied our labor friends for pickets across the city, even multiple distribution sites in a single night. We stood in front of delivery drivers that threatened us with weapons, with their vehicles — people who were scabbing in Teamster jobs. One night, the scab driver

who broke the jaw of a striker pushed me bodily forward with his huge Mack truck. I truly believe if I had tripped and fallen, he would have rolled right over me. I was alone in front of the truck while striking Teamster watched. Silently. Not even shouting for him stop.

So when I tell you I put it all on the line for this strike, I’m not exaggerating. So the Teamsters going behind the backs of every single striker to make a secret deal that gives the PG (who cut off their healthcare over a $19 a week price hike) EVERYTHING it wants is a

fucking stab in the back and slap in the face. They acted cowardly and in pure self-interest. They don’t know what solidarity is. And then to tell a reporter today that the NewsGuild is to blame. How dare Joe Barbano say that. When we have done SO MUCH for his people.

To dissolve a union unit in Pittsburgh of all cities, in exchange for nothing special from the PG, is nonsensical and a class betrayal. But am I really surprised when an ex-cop is the local principal officer? No. Cops flooded GVP when we were picketing. They were the ones

that physically broke our picket lines. So of course an ex-cop took officer and broke the strike as dissolved a unit all in one go. Then gave us the middle finger.

So I’m angry. But that doesn’t mean I’m giving up hope or throwing in the towel. Those of us brave enough to still be on the picket line aren’t going anywhere, not until the work is done.