NY Times Co. busting unions?

[masuki bance]

This is f*cked up, if true

Times co. threatens to shut down Globe
April 3, 2009

By Robert Gavin and Robert Weisman, Globe Staff

The New York Times Co. has threatened to shut the Boston Globe unless the newspaper's unions swiftly agree to $20 million in concessions, union leaders said.

Executives from the Times Co. and Globe made the demands Thursday morning in an approximately 90- minute meeting with leaders of the newspaper's 13 unions, union officials said. The possible concessions include pay cuts, the end of pension contributions by the company and the elimination of lifetime job guarantees now enjoyed by some veteran employees, said Daniel Totten, president of the Boston Newspaper Guild, the Globe's biggest union, which represents more than 700 editorial, advertising and business office employees.

The concessions will be negotiated individually with each of the unions, said Totten and Ralph Giallanella, secretary-treasurer of the Teamsters Local 259, which represents about 200 drivers who deliver the newspaper.

...

Earlier this week, the Globe newsroom completed cutting the equivalent of 50 full-time jobs. But the deteoriating economy has made the paper's financial outlook much worse. Management told union leaders Thursday that the Globe will lose $85 million in 2009, unless serious cutbacks are made, according to a Globe employee briefed on the discussions. Last year the paper lost an estimated $50 million, the employee said.

The Times Co. is seeking concessions from the union because the New York company, which is also suffering from the recession, can no longer subsidize the Globe's losses, said the Globe employee who requested anonymity because the person is not authorized to speak publicly. The Times Co. posted a net loss of $57.8 million in 2008.
http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2009/04/times_co_threat.html

Pinch could ease up on his pay and maybe cut back on those dividends rather than hurting the working people.

[billyoc]

1. The Telecommunications Reform Act has destroyed any notion of a free press in this country.

It never should have been signed into law, and the monopoly control of everything we see and read as a result leaves us with a system that cannot be salvaged. We must start over with new smaller media companies that are forbidden to merge and form monopolies ever again. I will dance on the paper of broken record's grave.

[Omaha Steve]

2. When a company is loosing $...

I can understand gives backs. Some of this goes past that. Did the workers get profit sharing in the good times?

Good post.

[masuki bance]

5. Here is the NYT Dec 2008

The hypocrisy is stunning-

"There is a strong argument that the slack labor market of a recession actually makes unions all the more important. Without a united front, workers will have even less bargaining power in the recession than they had during the growth years of this decade, when they largely failed to get raises even as productivity and profits soared. If pay continues to lag, it will only prolong the downturn by inhibiting spending..."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/29/opinion/29mon1.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=editorial%20efca&st=cse

[maseman]

3. Well they have a choice

Make concessions or go out of business. If newspapers were flourishing and the NY Times pulled this I would say they are attempting to bust a union. But I am sure you have read lately that newspapers, major newspapers, are folding up all over the country. Detroit, Seattle, San Fran, etc. Advertising is way down in general and compile that with newspapers were already hurting before the downturn. In addition printing costs are WAY up. Paid circulation has also plummeted mainly due to the web.

[masuki bance]

4. Businesses make that threat routinely.

Pinch seems to be living large while he wants the people who actually make the paper what it is to suffer.