Don't Buy Unfair Chicago Tribune

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The Chicago Tribune is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded in 1847 and is one of the foremost American newspapers, particularly in the Midwest. 

On July 18, 1985, over 1000 union production workers walked out after the failure of contract negotiations. The crux of the issue was the Tribune’s desire for complete control of the hiring, assignment, and direction of production workers. Thus began a years-long strike and many stalled negotiations. Within the first year, 68 bargaining sessions were held, and the unions and the Tribune both filed charges alleging unfair labor practices by the opposing side before the National Labor Relations Board. Many of the workers who had gone on strike were replaced, and even when unions offered to return unconditionally in 1986, few workers were rehired. The printers’ union sued the paper, alleging that their actions violated a 1975 agreement in which they were guaranteed lifetime employment. 

The printers’ union and the paper settled in 1989 with an $8.56 million settlement fund, a new three-year contract, and the withdrawal of a union lawsuit. However, even after the printers settled, the pressmen and the mailers remained out on strike, and hearings regarding labor relations between the pressmen, mailers, and paper continued into the 1990s. In 1992, a federal appeals court decreed that the Chicago Tribune did not violate federal labor laws