Washington Post reaches tentative deal with unionized staffers after 18 months of bitter negotiations
Labor issues have hurt morale at Jeff Bezos’ newspaper
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The Washington Post reached a tentative agreement with unionized workers on Friday after 18 months of bitter negotiations.
"The Washington Post is pleased to confirm that we have reached a comprehensive tentative agreement on a new three-year contract with the Guild. It has always been our goal to reach an agreement that addresses the needs of our employees and our business. We are confident this contract provides both and appreciate the efforts of all who have worked to make this happen. We are hopeful the contract will be ratified next week," a Post spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
The Post Guild took to social media to celebrate the agreement.
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"This deal is the best contract Washington Post employees have seen in 50 years," the Guild wrote.
"Though The Post spent the past few weeks insisting they had no further movement for us, our members’ tireless organizing, and the public’s outpouring of support, forced company leaders back to the table today," the Guild continued. "We look forward to putting this historic deal to a vote. Thank you to all who helped us get here. Solidarity forever."
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Earlier this month, unionized workers at the paper staged a 24-hour walkout over stalled contract negotiations, fueling questions about whether the paper's billionaire owner Jeff Bezos should intervene.
Insiders have told Fox News Digital labor issues and voluntary separation packages had caused low morale at the paper.
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"This has been a chaotic and turbulent period internally," a Washington Post insider told Fox News Digital on Thursday.
The tentative deal comes days after Post leadership announced that enough employees accepted the paper’s voluntary separation package to reach its workforce reduction goal ahead of 2024.
Journalism veteran Will Lewis is set to take over as publisher and CEO in early January.
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Fox News' David Rutz and Joseph A. Wulfoshn contributed to this report.