“Washington Post employees have been negotiating with management for 18 months,” the Washington Post Guild wrote in its announcement of a 24-hour work stoppage. “We still lack a contract that keeps pace with record-level inflation and guarantees workers a living wage.”

The strike comes days after the paper’s editorial board published a piece that celebrated 2023 as a “miracle year for the U.S. economy,” arguing there’s a disconnect between Americans’ negative views toward the economy and its actual condition. It referenced, among other data points, the fact that inflation has cooled since rising to record levels last year and that jobs and GDP have both grown since 2022, as well as a boom in consumption. …

The paper has published numerous columns since April arguing the economy is strong. Titles include: “Stop the gloom and doom. The economic recovery is strong,” “The US Economy Is Great. Stop Worrying About It,” “When will Americans stop worrying and learn to love the U.S. economy?,” and “Mad at Biden’s inflation record? Another Trump term would be way worse.”