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John Santa

@johnnysantapup

Pittsburgh Union Progress sports reporter on strike from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Husband of an educator and father of a Wild Thing.

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13.11.2024
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Latest posts by John Santa @johnnysantapup

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Follow along as the @pghguild.com strike paper's @johnnysantapup.bsky.social covers college 🏈 and Brad and Steve work all day this championship Saturday @acrisurestadium.bsky.social. Meanwhile here are the PIAA playoffs results, and the Mon Incline is open for Light Up Night: www.unionprogress.com

22.11.2025 14:33 πŸ‘ 6 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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Monday morning at the @pghguild.com strike paper: @johnnysantapup.bsky.social lays out the district @ncaafb.bsky.social playoff picture and Ed Blazina reports on Pittsburgh Regional Transit's annual service report: Missed trips are down, but on-time performance is an issue: www.unionprogress.com

17.11.2025 13:58 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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FOOTBALL! Saturday's @pghguild.com strike paper has what happened Friday night and what's happening today, which our Steve, Brad and @johnnysantapup.bsky.social will have tonight. Follow? Plus news on the Mon Incline closure and @attacktheatre.bsky.social going "Game On." www.unionprogress.com

15.11.2025 13:16 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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The @pghguild.com sports guys are taping up for a long weekend of football, including Saturday college championships and playoff pushes. @johnnysantapup.bsky.social reports. Helen Fallon previews America Recycles Day. And Ed Blazina says PGH Transit debuts ReadyFare cards soon: www.unionprogress.com

14.11.2025 14:18 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
A yellow bridge in front of a city background with three banners reading "POST-GAZETTE STRIKERS WILL WIN".

A yellow bridge in front of a city background with three banners reading "POST-GAZETTE STRIKERS WILL WIN".

BREAKING: We won!

Today the 3rd Circuit Court ordered the @post-gazette.com to restore our contract it illegally tore up 5 years ago. That’s our health care, PTO, right to a 40-hr. work week, short-term disability and so much more we’ve struck for 3+ years.

pghguild.com/2025/11/10/p...

10.11.2025 17:48 πŸ‘ 2860 πŸ” 723 πŸ’¬ 37 πŸ“Œ 102
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Two big stories in the @pghguild.com Sunday strike paper: @johnnysantapup.bsky.social covers all the W. PA college football, and Ed Blazina reports on @pittsburghwater.bsky.social's massive upgrade -- "a monumental moment" to ensure "clean drinking water for our babies": www.unionprogress.com

09.11.2025 13:42 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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It's the 🏈 playoff semis tonight and our starting lineup is set: Steve Rotstein at Class 6A/4A, Brad Everett at 5A/3A and
@johnnysantapup.bsky.social at 2A/1A. Pregame with previews in the @pghguild.com strike paper, which also looks at weekend roadwork and South Park recycling: unionprogress.com

07.11.2025 13:13 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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The Thursday @pghguild.com strike paper previews Friday night's WPIAL Class 6A/4A high school football semifinal games, as well as Saturday's opening at the August Wilson African American Cultural Center of "Picture This," celebrating the value of intergenerational friendships: www.unionprogress.com

06.11.2025 14:13 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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The @pghguild.com Sunday strike paper has @johnnysantapup.bsky.social's big district college football roundup; a Mon Incline glitch, rescue and shutdown; Allegheny Land Trust protecting more green space; and a PGH Media Partnership story on the need for more foster parents: www.unionprogress.com

02.11.2025 12:47 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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Sunday PUP has @johnnysantapup.bsky.social's district college football roundup, Steve Rotstein at the City League championship, the final rankings of the regular season, a story by Ed Blazina on bulk transit passes, and a story about Ed Blazina, three years into the strike: www.unionprogress.com

26.10.2025 13:08 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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The @pghguild.com Sunday strike paper features @johnnysantapup.bsky.social's big college football roundup, @stevemellon412.bsky.social on No Kings, Andrew Goldstein on new farm grower-worker co-op Zeromile, and Ed Blazina on PGH Regional Transit's farebox contract challenge: www.unionprogress.com

19.10.2025 13:07 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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What happened on the football fields of Western Pennsylvania on Friday night? Here's @johnnysantapup.bsky.social, Steve Rotstein and Emily Matthews in the @pghguild.com Saturday strike paper: www.unionprogress.com

18.10.2025 12:30 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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The @pghguild.com Sunday strike paper is topped by @johnnysantapup.bsky.social's college football roundup, Ed Blazina's report on a ground-leaving new venture to train future aviation workers, and Karen Carlin with a preview of "Off the Record XXV": www.unionprogress.com

12.10.2025 12:42 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Hallam and County Council recognize our resilience as this damn strike nears its third anniversary - Pittsburgh Union Progress Tuesday night about a dozen of us wore our black PUP T-shirts, the most vigorously chic attire in labor history, and gathered in the Gold Room at the Allegheny County Courthouse to stand with the coun...

Just a week and half short of the third anniversary of our unfair labor practice strike against @post-gazette.com, Allegheny County Council member at-large @bethanyhallam.bsky.social brought forward a proclamation acknowledging the fight of the union journalists holding down the picket line.

08.10.2025 14:16 πŸ‘ 19 πŸ” 10 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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In the @pghguild.com Sunday "paper," @johnnysantapup.bsky.social covers all the college football; Ed Blazina reports that it takes money for PGH Transit to, well, take money; and the PMP Newsroom's Erin Yudt covers "giant generational wealth being lost daily” to smarter scams: www.unionprogress.com

05.10.2025 12:20 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 2 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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The @pghguild.com's Ed Blazina starts out another week with a beyond-the-noise report on the PGH Regional Transit bus stops situation at The Waterfront, on which parties still are working to solve. He's also got his weekly heads-up on regional roadwork, including on Route 28: www.unionprogress.com

29.09.2025 13:25 πŸ‘ 8 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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District college football: No. 8 California upsets No. 4 Slippery Rock in Division II's only battle of Top 10 teams; W&J offense explodes to knock off Grove City - Pittsburgh Union Progress A season ago, California University of Pennsylvania used a regular-season upset of Slippery Rock to catapult itself toward its first outright Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference West Division title...

All the Western Pennsylvania college football: The @pghguild.com's @johnnysantapup.bsky.social spent Saturday covering California of PA, Slippery Rock, Washington & Jefferson, Grove City, Seton Hill, Indiana of PA, Duquesne, Waynesburg, Thiel, Pitt and more: : www.unionprogress.com/2025/09/27/d...

28.09.2025 12:42 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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With grit and heart, coming off big injuries, the @pghguild.com sports team of Steve, Brad, Emily and @johnnysantapup.bsky.social covered Friday night right. 🏈scores, stars, sights and sounds are in today's PUP, with Ed Blazina on PGH Transit's plans and roadwork to avoid: www.unionprogress.com

27.09.2025 12:34 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 4 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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The Sunday @pghguild.com strike paper leads with @johnnysantapup.bsky.social's comprehensive coverage of regional college football. Ed Blazina adds stories on using data to improve roads and driving habits, and on an awkward transit gap at the new @pitairport.bsky.social: www.unionprogress.com

21.09.2025 12:50 πŸ‘ 1 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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The @pghguild.com's @johnnysantapup.bsky.social covers ALL the regional college football; Helen Fallon lays out Love Your Library; Joe Knupsky shows how @newsguild.org solidarity is a verb for which Pittsburgh journalists are most grateful. It's all in the Sunday strike paper: www.unionprogress.com

14.09.2025 12:08 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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One of PUP's 2-way (✍️ and πŸ“·) players @johnnysantapup.bsky.social covers the hell out of regional college football; Brad Everett does Saturday's high school games; Ed Blazina reports a temporary fix to the state transit crisis; Helen Fallon features @412foodrescue.bsky.social. www.unionprogress.com

07.09.2025 12:26 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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The @pghguild.com newsroom is buzzin' around the coffee pot, but sports is silent. They're working football tonight. @johnnysantapup.bsky.social filed his NCAA Div. III preview, though, and Ed Blazina has your weekend roadwork plus an airy feature on the historic Liberty Tubes: www.unionprogress.com

05.09.2025 12:48 πŸ‘ 4 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 0
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What happened in football Friday night? Here's the @pghguild.com strike paper's Emily Matthews, Steve Rotstein, Brad Everett and
@johnnysantapup.bsky.social with the games, scoreboard,
stars, sights and sounds, plus PUP Bites: unionprogress.com

06.09.2025 12:43 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
"Pittsburgh Post-Gazette workers ON STRIKE" on a black banner. Striking workers in black shirts are holding the sign.

"Pittsburgh Post-Gazette workers ON STRIKE" on a black banner. Striking workers in black shirts are holding the sign.

"Pittsburgh Post-Gazette workers ON STRIKE" on a black banner. Striking workers in black shirts are holding the sign.

"Pittsburgh Post-Gazette workers ON STRIKE" on a black banner. Striking workers in black shirts are holding the sign.

"Solidarity with Post-Gazette workers ON STRIKE" on a black sign with a yellow fist attached to a while table.

"Solidarity with Post-Gazette workers ON STRIKE" on a black sign with a yellow fist attached to a while table.

A yellow dog holding a dead grey rat in its mouth on a black t-shirt that reads "unionprogress.com strike publication of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh."

A yellow dog holding a dead grey rat in its mouth on a black t-shirt that reads "unionprogress.com strike publication of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh."

Happy Labor Day. Today, we marked 1,049 days on strike against @post-gazette.com management who have been running the most lawless union-busting campaign in America.

The longest active strikers in the country marched in Pittsburgh's Labor Day parade wearing our new Union Progress newshound shirts.

01.09.2025 17:32 πŸ‘ 72 πŸ” 29 πŸ’¬ 1 πŸ“Œ 3
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The @pghguild.com strike paper's sports team -- @johnnysantapup.bsky.social, @jenku.bsky.social, Steve, Brad, Rob, Tyler, Emily -- is BRINGING the high school football preseason coverage, as Coach Rick Davis explains, while Helen Fallon features Age-Friendly Greater Pittsburgh: www.unionprogress.com

14.08.2025 12:46 πŸ‘ 5 πŸ” 3 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

Seconds after this was posted, Noah filed a reverse fun-ism lawsuit. www.constangy.com/sharpen-your...

15.08.2025 20:02 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0

The trades are whatever, but the Pirates are currently two players short on their active roster today with more trades certainly coming. If they aren’t paying 26 active players during their off day tomorrow, MLBPA should file another grievance against these cheapskate bastards.

30.07.2025 21:31 πŸ‘ 3 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
Preview
Family ties: West Mifflin native John Mooney named to elite U.S. National Under-17 team, following in cousin NHL draft pick Logan Cooley's footsteps - Pittsburgh Union Progress Hockey runs deep through John Mooney’s bloodlines. The 16-year-old West Mifflin native and North Catholic sophomore is now adding his own chapter to his family’s significant local lore around the game...

John Mooney is a West Mifflin kid who was just drafted by the Canadiens de Montreal. Our @johnnysantapup.bsky.social can say he talked to him way before that: www.unionprogress.com/2023/04/20/f...

28.06.2025 20:08 πŸ‘ 2 πŸ” 1 πŸ’¬ 0 πŸ“Œ 0
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'Fight Like Hell' author Kim Kelly shatters assumptions about working-class people, labor history - Pittsburgh Union Progress We rolled into Monday concerned the world had gone a bit wobbly, with American bombs screaming down on Iranian nuclear facilities and news that we’re all about to fry in a giant atmospheric slow cooke...

My colleague and comrade @stevemellon412.bsky.social has a write-up on @kimkelly.bsky.social's talk at the Mt. Lebanon Public Library last night! Thanks so much to Kim for letting @johnnysantapup.bsky.social talk about the @pghguild.com beforehand. www.unionprogress.com/2025/06/24/f...

24.06.2025 14:55 πŸ‘ 78 πŸ” 16 πŸ’¬ 2 πŸ“Œ 4