(Boston) Globe proposes 23 percent pay cut

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Boston Globe

Boston Globe management and the Boston Newspaper Guild resumed negotiations this evening so far apart that the company has proposed, with what it called its "last, best offer," to slash wages of Guild members by about 23 percent to gain the $10 million in concessions sought from the union, according to Guild and management representatives with knowledge of the negotiations.

Globe management presented that offer on Sunday, a move that could lay the groundwork for management to declare an impasse and unilaterally impose the draconian wage cuts, said Thomas Kohler, a Boston College law professor. Labor laws allow companies, under certain legal conditions, to impose the conditions of their last, best offers if an impasse is reached in negotiations.

Globe spokesman Robert Powers declined to comment. In a statement yesterday that announced agreements on financial and contract concessions with six other Globe unions, Powers said management was "evaluating our alternatives under both the Guild contract and applicable law to achieve as quickly as possible the workplace flexibility and remaining cost savings we need to help put The Globe on a sound financial footing."

Union officials could not immediately be reached for comment today.

Read more: http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2009/05/globe_proposes.html

[MADem]

1. That's pretty steep. nt

[mike_c]

2. will management be taking a voluntary 23 percent salary cut too...?

Will the owners give up 23 percent of their stake, perhaps to workers in exchange for concessions? Somehow, I doubt it.

[totodeinhere]

3. Since they are losing a lot of money right now, 23% of nothing would be nothing. n/t

[mike_c]

4. that's a bit of a smoke screen....

While the paper is indeed losing money, management is still getting paid, just like everyone else. Will they be feeling the pain of "cost-cutting" too, or is it all dumped on the union workers? And god help anyone who isn't organized!

[totodeinhere]

5. Offhand I can't find the answer to that question. Not all details of the negotiations have been...

made public.

[Old Michigander]

6. Boston Globe

The paper should be nationalized or taken over by the City or the State of Masachusetts. Britain has the BBC, the Soviet Union had Pravda, etc. What's wrong with it being publicly owned?

[jb5150]

7. Why should the "public"

get stuck with a business that is losing money?

[choie]

9. we, the public, are stuck with banks that lost money...

[virgogal]

8. Good Lord. I've been reading he Globe for 50 years and you

would like it to become another Pravda?

[totodeinhere]

10. How could the newspaper play it's proper role as a watchdog of the...

government when it is owned by the government? It would not be a good idea. IMO, most newspapers will not be able to be saved. In ten years, it will be mostly just the Internet.

[happyslug]

11. Pravda was NEVER owned by the State, it was owned by the Communist Party

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pravda#The_post-Soviet_period

Pravda Online was founded after Pravda was shutdown and confiscated by Yeltsin (The only time it was owned by the State), its writers and editors founded an online edition, pravda online (Yeltsin sold the paper version to a third party). Pravda still lines as on in line edition:
http://english.pravda.ru/