Washington Post employees walked off the job last week to protest that their salaries couldn't keep up with record inflation — despite the newspaper repeatedly celebrating President Biden's “miracle economy.”
The Dec. 7 strike came after 18 months of negotiations failed to deliver a “living wage” that keeps pace with rising prices, the newspaper's union said.
Staffers released a much-criticized video explaining their reasons for striking, saying they felt they were “worthy of a pay increase that keeps pace with inflation” as they dealt with issues such as the pandemic, climate change and the war in Ukraine .
But just days before the strike, the Post published a scathing opinion piece Americans say they were only angry about the economy because they “forgot what normal looks like.”
Washington Post employees walked off the job for 24 hours on December 7 to protest their salaries not keeping pace with inflation — despite the outlet repeatedly celebrating Biden's economy
The Washington Post staff released a much-criticized video explaining the reasons for their strike. They said they felt like they were owed a raise for covering events like climate change and an uprising.
Washington Post employees criticized the paper's leadership for “refusing to negotiate in good faith,” leaving them, they say, with no choice but to form a picket line.
“They have failed to give us a fair deal that keeps pace with the economy and our competitors,” said Martine Powers, host of “Post Reports.”
The staffers urged people to support their strike and avoid Washington Post journalism as they began the 24-hour strike. The protests came as the outlet also recently announced plans to cut staff by 10 percent.
But while journalists, including health and medicine reporter Lenny Bernstein, said he deserved additional compensation for his “years of service,” the paper's editorial staff continues to lament the pessimism Americans have toward the economy.
Since April, the newspaper has published headlines including 'Stop the gloom and downfall. The economic recovery is strong'; 'The American economy is great. Don't worry about it anymore'; And 'When will the Americans stop worrying and learn to love the American economy?”
The feeling that 2023 has been a 'miracle year for the US economy' Article from December 2 argued that there is a gap between the actual state of the economy and how people perceive it.
“In many ways, this is the year the economy finally returns to something close to normal,” the editorial said.
“But after a few traumatic years, many people seem to have forgotten what normal looks like… It would be even better — for the country's economy and politics — if Americans believed this could happen.”
The Washington Post has published a number of editorials celebrating President Biden's economy and complaining about a lack of recognition by the American people
Another editorial Biden hoped to provide a boost shortly before Thanksgiving, citing falling inflation versus 2022 and falling unemployment to argue that “the typical American family cup is overflowing.”
“It appears voters are giving President Biden little or no credit for the scant economic and geopolitical stability he has governed,” the article said.
Ironically, the editorial also argued that the festive season offers an opportunity to talk to family members about disagreements, but “one thing that won't work is to basically tell someone to stop complaining and enjoy the latest inflation numbers or the gross domestic product. product growth.'
But while many of the op-eds cite promising numbers about the economy compared to the pandemic-hit years, a November piece also said inflation is “an economic mystery that baffles the White House.”
“Most Americans are better off financially than they were before the coronavirus pandemic, but they feel worse about their economic prospects,” the article argued.
The December 7 staff strike was the first to appear in newspapers since the 1970s, and articles were published with only the byline “Washington Post Staff.”
Long lines of employees braved the cold outside the Washington DC headquarters, holding signs demanding a “fair contract now.”
The Washington Post union estimated that more than 700 staffers had joined the strike and about 400 had joined the picket lines.
The newspaper's union estimated that 700 people took part in the strike after executives proposed a pay increase of just 2.5 percent.
The strikes come amid reports that the Washington Post will lose $100 million this year, and that the newspaper has announced plans to cut staff by 10 percent.
Some Washington Post employees have reportedly objected to the newspaper's ownership by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (pictured this week with fiancée Lauren Sanches in Miami) as the paper struggles financially under the helm of one of the nation's wealthiest men in the world.
According to CNNThe strike was quietly supported by President Biden's White House, the re-election campaign and the DNC, which avoided using the outlet's content during the 24-hour strike.
Executives proposed a 2.5 percent pay increase in response to the threat of a strike, which union representatives said was well below inflation.
But the Jeff Bezos-owned newspaper has also fallen on hard times and is reportedly on track to lose $100 million this year. Management announced the 10 percent layoffs in October.
Some staffers also object to Bezos taking ownership of the outlet, saying the problems arise while it is owned by one of the richest men in the world.