AUSTIN, Texas — Journalists with the Austin American-Statesman are on strike once again.
On Friday, employees of the daily newspaper began their most recent strike in protest of "unfair labor practices and bad-faith bargaining" enacted by the Statesman's owner, Gannett.
The journalists started their strike at noon Friday at the South Congress Bridge in Downtown Austin, and they plan to continue through Monday, April 8.
With the support of the Austin NewsGuild, the writers on strike have been fighting for better pay and benefits for the past three years now.
The Austin NewsGuild, which represents Statesman staff members, posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, to encourage supporters to avoid reading the newspaper's stories or interacting with its social media accounts.
The journalists are also seeking support through a GoFundMe campaign, which has already reached more than $35,000 of its $50,000 goal.
All of the money raised will support Statesman employees who are currently on the picket lines.
On Friday afternoon, Gannett shared a statement regarding the employees' strike.
"Our goal is to preserve journalism and serve our community as we continue to bargain in good faith," Amy Garrard, vice president of Labor Relations at Gannett, said. "Austin American-Statesman readers can be assured there will be no disruption to our ability to deliver content and trusted news."
Previous Austin-American Statesman strikes
This isn't the first time writers for the newspaper have picketed.
In June 2023, unionized workers from the Statesman joined a national protest against Gannett, picketing for better pay.
During this protest, the Austin employees were fighting for an average pay of $60,000, noting the increasing cost of living in Texas' capital city.
Most recently, Statesman employees picketed in February, once again asking for the same annual wage floor. In response, Gannett offered the workers a wage floor of $48,000 annually.
Statesman employees plan to return to work on April 9, but for now, they will spend the weekend picketing on the sidewalks of Downtown Austin.