Striking Pittsburgh Post-Gazette journalists are set to return to work Monday morning, ending what had become the country's longest active strike. 

Members of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh voted last week to end the walkout after, they say, they won all their 2022 strike demands through the courts. The strike had lasted three years.

"I'm looking forward to having a front-page story again," said Andrew Goldstein, a reporter at the Post-Gazette and the President of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh. "I'm really excited. I would also say a little anxious, maybe even a little nervous."

Part of those nerves comes from what happens on Monday. After a rally outside the paper's office to celebrate Monday morning they will head inside, unsure of exactly what to expect.

"We've heard nothing from the Post-Gazette," Goldstein said.

He's confident, based on rumors, they will be welcomed back inside the building, but anything beyond that is unknown, he said. Reporters don't know if they'll get their old beats back. 

"There is a lot of work that still needs to be done," Goldstein said. "Just because the strike is over, it doesn't mean that the situation is going to be perfect."

The strike began over unfair labor practice charges, issues with health care, and the paper taking away the union's contract, Goldstein said. The vote that ended the strike came after the union said the U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the paper to restore the work they had taken away.

"That gave us everything that we had wanted when we started this strike," Goldstein said. 

The Post-Gazette told the Columbia Journalism Review it would appeal the ruling. Goldstein said he's confident justice will be done, and pointed out the low chances the Supreme Court will take the case.

The newspaper also told the Columbia Journalism Review that if the court decision is allowed to stand, it would lead to the closure of the paper. 

"It's upsetting to see that, but also the Post-Gazette has a history of saying that they're going to shut down at different times and do different things," Goldstein said. 

Looking ahead, there's still the matter of working toward a new contract, Goldstein said.  

Twenty-six union members are returning to the Post-Gazette, down from 60 journalists who originally went on strike. Some members have found different jobs; others have crossed the picket line. 

The guild's website lists nearly 100 people as "scabs," indicating that they crossed the picket line, having worked at the Post-Gazette since the strike, with many of them having joined the paper after the strike began. 

Asked how workers who remained on strike will be able to work with those who crossed the picket line, Goldstein said, "I hope, my hope is everyone is a professional and recognizes when we work together that's what's best for Pittsburgh."

It's the very reason he's coming back, despite what the paper did.

"I believe very strongly that Pittsburgh deserves quality journalism, and I want to do whatever I can to be a part of that."