1978 New York City newspaper strike

none February 2025 The 1978 New York City newspaper strike ran from August 10 to November 5, 1978, a total of 88 days. It affected the New York City newspaper industry, shutting down all three of the city's major newspapers: The New York Times, New York Daily News, and the New York Post. Origins The multi-union strike was led by pressmen and halted production of the three papers, with no editions being published since August 9, 1978.Hiltner Stephen All the News Not Fit to Print https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2014/10/23/all-the-news-not-fit-to-print/ September 25, 2021 The Paris Review October 23, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20141024062825/https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2014/10/23/all-the-news-not-fit-to-print/ October 24, 2014 liveDewar Helen Helen Dewar Pressmen Reach Tentative Pact In 84-Day N.Y. Newspaper Strike https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1978/11/02/pressmen-reach-tentative-pact-in-84-day-ny-newspaper-strike/22367071-f86d-4525-9066-104d887e2c6b/ September 25, 2021 The Washington Post November 2, 1978 https://web.archive.org/web/20210108075812/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1978/11/02/pressmen-reach-tentative-pact-in-84-day-ny-newspaper-strike/22367071-f86d-4525-9066-104d887e2c6b/ January 8, 2021 limited live Other unions who walked out included those for machinists, paperhandlers, truck mechanics, and drivers. The strike occurred due to the three newspapers each issuing new work rulings which significantly decreased requirements concerning the level of staffing. Unlike many strikes, wage levels were not a major issue. More than 10,000 employees were either striking or out of work in support of one of the striking unions. Effects During the outage, several strike papers popped into existence, being sold on newsstands and with bylines from the three regular papers; these included The City News, The New York Daily Press, and The New York Daily Metro. One existing paper that momentarily benefited during this time was Unification Church-owned The News World, which had been launched in 1976 and reached its highest-ever circulation of 400,000 during the strike;New York Tribune Suspends Publication https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/05/nyregion/tribune-suspends-publication.html Late Edition (East Coast) The New York Times January 5, 1991 February 13, 2022 February 13, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220213131432/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/05/nyregion/tribune-suspends-publication.html live some well-known reporters for the three closed papers wrote for it as well.https://www.upi.com/Archives/1991/01/03/New-York-City-Tribune-suspends-publication/3436662878800/?spt=su New York City Tribune suspends publication United Press International January 3, 1991 February 13, 2022 February 13, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220213131432/https://www.upi.com/Archives/1991/01/03/New-York-City-Tribune-suspends-publication/3436662878800/?spt=su live Two months into the strike, a parody of The New York Times called Not The New York Times was distributed in the city, with contributors such as Carl Bernstein, Christopher Cerf, Tony Hendra, and George Plimpton.http://www.poynter.org/2011/not-the-new-york-times-from-1978-remains-the-best-nyt-parody/131782/ 'Not the New York Times' from 1978 remains the best NYT parody May 10, 2011 Poynter February 11, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170211160602/http://www.poynter.org/2011/not-the-new-york-times-from-1978-remains-the-best-nyt-parody/131782/ February 11, 2017 dead Contrary to initial expectations, New York businesses such as restaurants, theaters, hotels, and retail stores did not suffer during the strike, finding alternate ways to advertise their presence and offerings.https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1978/11/02/the-major-losers-papers-employes/e7b28e66-4f9d-4695-ba60-2960e7eb8025/ The Major Losers: Papers, Employees Lee Lescaze The Washington Post November 2, 1978 What is sometimes claimed as an unanticipated consequence of the strike was the turnaround in the 1978 New York Yankees season. The team, who had been trailing the Boston Red Sox of that year by 14 games, turned things around in a late-season push and eventually won a dramatic tie-breaker game against the Red Sox and then the 1978 World Series. The Yankees organization at that time included several volatile personalities, including owner George Steinbrenner, oft-hired and fired manager Billy Martin, and slugger Reggie Jackson, and the battles among them had been receiving considerable media attention, particularly headlines in the News and the Post. Once the papers went on strike, it is said, the press distractions diminished and the team could focus on playing well. At the time, a Yankees representative noted that "We've heard that theory, but we started our winning streak when the papers were still publishing." The belief that the strike enabled the team's turnaround was still being given credit decades later; in 2018 longtime sportswriter and Red Sox historian Gordon Edes wondered if the newspaper strike had been a bigger villain than "Bucky Bleepin' Dent" for Red Sox fans.https://gewrite.medium.com/was-a-newspaper-strike-a-bigger-villain-than-bucky-bleepin-dent-in-1978-4c0e5ec197bf Was a Newspaper Strike a Bigger Villain Than Bucky Bleepin' Dent in 1978? Gordon Edes Medium.com October 2, 2018 February 22, 2022 February 22, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220222010408/https://gewrite.medium.com/was-a-newspaper-strike-a-bigger-villain-than-bucky-bleepin-dent-in-1978-4c0e5ec197bf live Resumption of publication During negotiations, Theodore W. Kheel served as an unofficial mediator between the two sides and played an important role in the progress of the talks. On October 5, the Post resumed publication when Rupert Murdoch, its owner and publisher, signed an agreement with the pressmen; however, the Daily News and the Times were still not being published. Murdoch's agreement essentially said that the Post would abide by whatever terms would be eventually worked out between the unions and the other two papers. The Post had been shut down for 56 days. The Times resumed publication along with the Daily News on November 6, 1978, after 88 days of non-production. The newspapers reached an agreement with the unions representing the pressmen.Stetson Damon The Times and News Resume Publication https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1978/11/06/112800581.pdf October 8, 2021 The New York Times November 6, 1978 January 29, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240129155130/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1978/11/06/112800581.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=false live The agreement preserved 1,500 existing jobs of the pressmen, but allowed management to reduce staffing through attrition and elimination of some overtime. Upon finally reaching agreement, both acknowledged that compromises had been made and said there had been "no victors" in the outcome. In particular, it was not a clear victory for management as had happened with the end of the 1975–1976 Washington Post pressmen's strike, a result the unions were striving to avoid in this case. Impact In the short term, the strike cost the newspapers an estimated $150 million in lost advertising and circulation revenue, while workers lost around $60 million in wages not earned (although union strike benefits and state unemployment insurance covered much of that for individual employees). In the longer term, the strike coincided with the advent of technological changes that initially took away the pressmen's jobs via newsroom automation and later undermined the economic model of the newspaper industry altogether.https://www.si.com/mlb/2018/09/19/14-back-documentary-yankees-red-sox-1978-pennant-race The Untold Story of the Yankees' Stunning Rally in '78 Tom Verducci Sports Illustrated September 19, 2018 February 16, 2022 February 16, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220216020754/https://www.si.com/mlb/2018/09/19/14-back-documentary-yankees-red-sox-1978-pennant-race live See also 1962–1963 New York City newspaper strike References New York City Newspaper Strike, 1978 Category:Economy of New York City Category:Newspaper labor disputes in the United States Category:1978 in New York City Category:Labor disputes in New York City Category:1970s strikes in the United States