Vote to end the strike also ends Goldy’s long hair nightmare

A man walked through the front door of Cardamone’s Salon in Regent Square shortly before 6:30 Tuesday night. The outside breeze sent his long blondish hair flowing. He flipped it out of his face, Fabio-like. A receptionist looked up. She’d been told to expect him.

“We should have balloons here,” she said.

This was a big occasion. The most anticipated hair trimming since former Steelers player Brett Keisel had his legendary beard trimmed in 2020. That took place in front of a packed house in a Marshall bar. Only a few folks were on hand for Tuesday night’s trimming. It’s tough to turn out a big crowd for a ceremonial haircut in this town unless you’re a Steeler.

Andrew Goldstein is no football guy. He’s president of the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh, and the last time he plopped himself into a hair stylist’s chair, he emerged looking like a sprightly and earnest young man. That was back in the fall of 2022. A short time later, he and dozens of his colleagues went on strike at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 

Goldy, as he’s known by his colleagues, decided he’d let his hair and beard grow until the strike ended. It was his way of showing commitment to the cause. No one expected the strike would last more than three years. Goldy was beginning to look like Forrest Gump in those movie scenes where he’s running across the country for the upteenth time.

Relief arrived last week, when a federal appeals court ruled in the union’s favor. It was a big win for the union, and for organized labor. A few days later, guild members voted to end the strike and then offered to return to work at the PG’s North Shore office on the morning of Monday, Nov. 24. Striking workers have been awaiting a company response.

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Goldy, however, wasn’t waiting to get rid of his locks. “Lord of the Rings” hair can be a real pain. Wind blows Goldy’s hair into his mouth; he gets food stuck in his beard. A few weeks ago, while reporting a story for the union’s strike newspaper, Goldy interviewed unionized federal workers who’d been furloughed during the government shutdown. Goldy’s hair fell in his face, so he used a pen to flip it away. The pen cap got tangled in his hair. He tugged at the pen, trying to get it free. It was embarrassing.

Then there’s the issue of keeping all that hair clean.

“I go through a bottle of shampoo a week,” Goldy said.

“So do I,” said his longtime friend Nick Barilla, who showed up for the shearing. Nick pulled off his cap to show a head barren of hair. Nick’s wife, Liz, shot him a long glance. “It’s for my body hair,” Nick said. He’s practicing his dad jokes.

Hair stylist Patty Knapp guided Goldy to a chair and then went to work. She used elastic bands to gather Goldy’s hair into two bundles, each about 18 inches long. Then she cut the bundles with scissors and handed the hair to Goldy’s mother, Rena Becker, who sat nearby. The hair will go to Wigs For Kids, a nonprofit organization that helps children who are losing their hair due to illness and/or medical treatment.

Patty then reached for her electric shears. While her shears buzzed, clumps of hair fell to the floor. Patty unearthed a new man.

“It looks like you went into a time machine and went back 10 years,” Liz said to Goldy.

Rena agreed. “This looks so nice,” she said. Then she turned to those sitting nearby. “We went to an Italian barber in Squirrel Hill when he was so much younger,” she said, motioning to her son, “and he looked a lot like this.”

Goldy’s father, Bennett Goldstein, shot pictures with his cellphone. He and Rena are regulars at strike rallies. Every Labor Day, the couple stand on the sidewalk to cheer the strikers as they march. Goldy’s entire family has stood with him during the entirety of the union’s long effort. It’s a Pittsburgh thing.

“His grandmother passed away last year,” Bennett said. “She was so looking forward to this being over. Even with her dementia, she remembered the strike. She adored Andrew. A large part of her focus was, ‘How is Andrew doing?’”

Rose Goldstein died Oct. 28, 2024.

Once Patty finished trimming Goldy’s hair, she turned her clippers on his beard, then his mustache. At one point, she pointed out, “Hey, you’ve got a lip under there.”

And then it was done. Goldy stood up. He wondered how his head would feel in the cold air, now that there’s much less hair to provide insulation.

A woman who’d been watching the transformation walked up.

“You look 20 years younger,” she said Goldy. He’s 33, so that would put him in middle school. “My son’s got a long beard,” the woman continued. “I wish he would get it cut.”

Nick raised his eyebrows.

“Look at that,” he said to his friend. “You’re already getting comments from the ladies.”