Boston Newspaper Guild members could vote Thursday on
a proposal that lifts
lifetime job guarantees protecting about 200 members, according to a report on
The Boston Globe's Web site.
The
Globe reports that union leaders do not plan to support or oppose the proposal, simply to offer it to members for a vote.
The proposal also reportedly includes:
- an 8.3 percent page cut;
- an additional five-day unpaid furlough;
- a freeze in pension contributions; and
- an end to 401(k) matching contributions.
Talks between Globe management and the Guild broke down Monday after
agreements were reached with the paper's other unions, but not with the Guild.
In
a letter sent to members Tuesday, Guild president Daniel Totten referenced the
Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act that
Globe management said
it was prepared to file on Monday. Totten said, "The Warn Act is used not only in cases of closure, but in instances of layoffs of more than 100 people. The
Globe has intimated a large layoff can be expected regardless of the outcome of negotiations."
This proposal -- if ratified -- would complete the concession negotiation process that started early last month when
The New York Times Company threatened to close the paper unless $20 million was saved.
As details of the agreement emerged, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry heard testimony on Wednesday from "Wire" creator David Simon, Knight Foundation president and CEO Alberto Ibargüen, Arianna Huffington and others interested in "
The Future of Journalism," the subject of a panel convened by Kerry as chair of the Senate's Communications, Technology & the Internet subcommittee.
During the hearing,
Kerry referred to newspapers as an "endangered species," and questioned panelists about fair use, charging for content and other issues.
Subcommittee members asked about
related topics.
There has been
increasing discussion of the
government's role in saving journalism recently. On Monday,
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs was asked about The Globe closing and told reporters, "I don't know what, in all honesty, government can do about it ... Obviously [
President Barack Obama] believes there has to be a strong free press ... I think there's a certain concern and a certain sadness when you see cities losing their newspapers or regions of the country losing their newspapers."
In April, a House subcommittee discussed "
A New Age for Newspapers." In March, Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin introduced "
The Newspaper Revitalization Act," which would allow
newspapers to become tax-exempt nonprofits.
Cardin spoke at Wednesday's Senate subcommittee hearing, as have:
The hearing was televised
live on C-SPAN 3 beginning at 3 p.m. ET on May 6.
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Lin, Those are some good points. I'm going to have...
