Driving through mid-day traffic last Friday, this DCist got stuck behind a metrobus slowly ambling its way along H Street NW. Plastered along the rear of the bus was an advertisement, pictured at left, expressing grief over a long-standing labor dispute between the management of The Washington Post and 400 of its mailers — the folks occupying the end of the newspaper’s production line, those that actually produce the neatly folded and organized product we are used to.

The dispute stems over the Post’s insistent refusal to renegotiate the mailers contract, which expired almost two years ago. According to the mailers, represented by the Communications Workers of America (an affiliate of the AFL-CIO), the Post is seeking to cut retirement security, on-the-job perks, and refuses to allow mailers upward mobility. The mailers are especially frustrated that these cuts come amidst a profitable time for the Post — they note that the Post’s third-quarter profits in 2004 stood at $82.5 million, the majority coming from their Kaplan Education Division, whose revenues during the same time increased by 31 percent.

The CWA has organized a boycott of Kaplan, well known for its standardized test prep courses, which was endorsed by the United Students Against Sweatshops earlier this year. This alliance may prove substantial — the power of students in helping further union-related causes was on display only weeks ago at Georgetown, where a student-led hunger strike led to a promise of pay increases for service workers.

While remaining in traffic, this DCist pondered the fate of a mailer walk-out. Would the Post become an undeliverable, unreadable mess of unfolded newsprint? How quickly would that prospect move Post management to negotiations? More importantly, would the Post cover a strike within its own ranks?