Posted on 05/02/2009 8:10:15 PM PDT by raccoonradio
Prepare not only for steep pay cuts but “a large number” of layoffs, a Boston Globe union boss told the troubled broadsheet’s Newspaper Guild members during a crowded meeting today.
With a midnight deadline for a tentative accord looming tonight, Guild leader Daniel Totten told staffers that the pain will continue even if they accept the company’s demand for $10 million in concessions from the 732 Guild members.
“Time and time again” talk of layoffs has come up during recent bargaining, Totten said, according to two people present at the meeting at the Boston Teachers Union hall in Dorchester. He said he had no specific number, but that it would be “large,” the people present said.
Union negotiators have until midnight tomorrow to arrive at a tentative agreement on the cuts with New York Times [NYT] Co. management, which has demanded the bloodletting at the money-losing Globe.
If they do not meet that deadline, the Times has threatened to shutter the 137-year-old newspaper, which is reportedly losing $1.5 million a week.
Totten told his membership that the Guild committee handling bargaining would likely bring two options to vote on. He predicted that bargainers, who are set to work most of today, would come to a tentative accord before midnight.
Totten and Guild attorney David Wanger told the members it was “our job to avoid an impasse,” and that bargainers would bring forth an offer even if they did not feel they could recommend it, said the two participants, who requested anonymity.
Totten said there were “hurdles to overcome,” and that the Times appeared inflexible on the $10 million figure and the deadline. Members have been told they will face at least 5 percent wage cuts and will also have to accept several weeks of unpaid furloughs to meet the Times’ financial demands.
He said company bargainers had told his committee that the Globe would try to make up other shortfalls in revenue by increasing subscription prices and imposing further cuts on management.
Regarding a severe accounting error on the part of the Times, which was revealed late Wednesday, Totten said he was told by management that “they simply made a mistake.” The mistake, involving about $4 million in predicted cost savings, means members will experience far deeper cuts than previously expected.
Asked by one Globe staffer whether the error was due to incompetence or bad faith bargaining, Totten said “both.” He said one-quarter of the error can be laid to incompetence and suggested the rest may have been planned.
The mood among members arriving at the meeting was somber and even angry. Some stated outright that they could never trust the financial data provided by the Times Co. By the end of the meeting, according to one attendee, members seemed determined to try to save the paper. “They want it to stay, they want to still work there, and they are willing to do what it takes to keep it going. But they want the company to take some hits too,” the attendee said.
If a tentative accord is reached tomorrow night, Guild members will have 30 days from the time it is formally presented to them to ratify it, under labor rules.
Negotiators said they were told the paper would remain open during that voting period. They also told members that management would want to extend the period of the revised contract well past its current Dec. 31 expiration date.
The paper’s other unions have said they are waiting for the Guild to reach an agreement with management, before they conclude their negotiations. `
...continuing to publish...
:(
Washington DC, calling Washington, we need more Bail Out over here!!
Uh, the company is losing $1.5 million a week, so I think they ARE taking some hits.
See, this is why they are going under. The people who work there are incurably stupid.
You know these newspapers have to be pretty ticked off at their “messiah.” They got a loser elected and while he’s giving everyone else a bailout, they are still going broke.
And they’re managing to keep it alive—while still losing all that money. This (lib) blogger says, hey, good news—
now with the proposed concessions they may only lose
$65 mil. per year, not $85 mil! :)
http://medianation.blogspot.com/2009/05/after-globe-deal-then-what.html
Finally, finally, some payback for the lies!
Do they really not understand what that means? I think this country has been so prosperous that people really don’t understand what will happen once the money runs out. I think they believe there is some never ending river of money coming from “somewhere”.
It's a dysfunctional mode of thinking, all right.
It's also completely typical of media liberals.
Offer the union members $10/hr., pay their own health insurance, and contributions to a 401K consisting of NYT stock.
Of course, that does include a half price subscription to the newspaper!
Die, Globe! Die! Die! Die!
There, all fixed.
Cheers!
Oh, there is, Trust me there is. /S
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