PITTSBURGH — According to the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, the union representing Pittsburgh Post-Gazette staffers, the region’s largest newspaper, is cutting two more print days from its weekly schedule. It is unclear which two days will be eliminated.

In August 2018, the P-G cut Tuesdays and Saturdays from its print schedule. With these announced cuts, the P-G will only print three days a week.

Since the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ceased printing within the city of Pittsburgh, the city will eventually be without a traditional newspaper for four days every week.

According to a letter that guild chairman and P-G reporter Jonathan Silver shared on Twitter, the cuts will take place on Sept. 30.

According to the letter, P-G management is making this decision to continue its push to “become a digital news organization.” It is unclear which days will be on the chopping block. Silver called this development “bad news.”

The Newspaper Guild tweeted in response to the news: “Another bad decision from a company that continues to show zero respect to employees or readers.”

Ron Vodenichar, president and publisher of the Butler Eagle, called the P-G’s move sad, but not surprising.

He said those in the industry knew the Pittsburgh-based newspaper has long been losing money and expected it would eventually pull the plug.

“We at the Eagle have been fortunate based on the management style of longtime Eagle Publisher, Vernon L. Wise Jr. His philosophy for running the company was to live within our means, and in doing so refused to put the Eagle into debt,” Vodenichar said, pointing out that “the industry has changed dramatically in the past 10 years, and we are nearly the last family-owned daily still publishing and printing its own product.

“In our case, part of our success is that we print others’ products as well.”

Vodenichar said the P-G’s decision to cut two more days of print would have little effect on the Butler region. He added that the P-G has not had a strong presence in the Butler area for some time.

The veteran newspaper executive stressed how this most recent announcement should serve as a reminder that newspapers “aren’t a community asset to be taken for granted.”

“Between this announcement and the announcement last week that the Youngstown Vindicator will close, it shows how quickly there can become a void in local coverage. There are only losers with this announcement,” Vodenichar said.

“There will be far fewer stories brought before the community, and maybe worst of all there will be far less scrutiny of local government. No watchdog and no cheerleader,” he said. “It is sad to lose their impact on the region.”

P-G management has been in a years-long labor battle with the guild. Union staffers have not received a raise in more than 13 years and are currently working without a renewed contract.

This year, despite these controversies, the P-G won a Pulitzer Prize for its reporting following the Tree of Life shooting.

Nathan Duke, Eagle City Editor, contributed to this report.