The Strike Angle: The Things I Miss the Most
Stephen K. Cooper
Let me just say from the outset that I hate being alone. I’m an extrovert who laughs easily with my friends and colleagues while I’m covering tax policy on Capitol Hill.
I miss not being able to write about legislative issues that I’ve watched develop over the last few decades in Congress. It’s the busiest period of September before everyone abandons Washington, D.C., to head home to campaign, and I’m missing it.
I miss laughing with the lawmakers, staffers, police officers and fellow journalists every day I’m on the Hill. Heck, I even miss the sweaty tourists clogging up the halls of the U.S. Capitol while I’m rushing to cover a vote on the House or Senate floor.
This strike could be over quickly if management stopped its unfair labor practices, like the illegal layoffs of 26 of my colleagues, and reached an agreement on healthcare, wages and other outstanding issues.
I wish we didn’t have to go on strike to force management to stop dragging its feet on a reasonable deal, and do what’s fair for the dedicated, experienced and well-trained journalists who make Law360 a must-read publication for the legal profession every day.
Here’s a peek into a reporter’s notebook on what I'd rather have been doing than striking:
Freezing to death inside the Longworth House Office Building Wednesday morning, trying to talk to members, staffers and lobbyists while the House Ways and Means Committee teed up yet another dead-end tax bill.
Trading silly text messages with staffers about the speeches their members make to win their political points.
Showing pictures of my beautiful new granddaughter to Rep. Suzan Delbene of Washington or asking Rep. David Schweikert of Arizona how to make the cup of perfect café au lait. (There’s a microwave involved. The horror!)
Eating lunch at the little grill in the basement of the U.S. Senate and joking with Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware about why Maryland beaches are way better than those dusty shorelines in Delaware. Or joking with Sen. Todd Young of Indiana about the rise of artificial intelligence and how long before Skynet becomes sentient and takes over the world.
Being on strike almost makes me a little sad that I might miss yet another press scrum around Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon where he casually mentions (for the 10 zillionth hundred thousandth time) that he used to work for this group called the Gray Panthers.
While the strike continues, I’m unable to meet my responsibilities to other journalists working on Capitol Hill.
I can’t fulfill my duties as the secretary-treasurer of the Executive Committee of Periodical Correspondents, the seven-member board of reporters who are elected by their peers to decide which publications qualify for press credentials on the Hill.
—Editing by Peter Rozovsky and Emily Kokoll.
