NYT editors: Protest shows ‘how deeply unsettling’ contract negotiations have been

The Huffington Post
“We thought this was a good moment for us to underscore our commitment to you and to affirm our faith in the future of The Times. After all, we are all in this together,” Jill Abramson, Dean Baquet and John Geddes write in a letter to the newsroom following Wednesday’s silent protest about the pace of contract negotiations:

In recent weeks, we’ve had conversations with many of you about your frustrations and worries over the protracted Guild negotiations, which have now gone on for more than a year. Yesterday’s gathering by the page one room shortly before the 4 p.m. meeting was another reminder of how deeply unsettling this time has been.

In response to concerns about the company’s proposal to cut pension benefits, they write that pensions for non-union employees were cut two years ago, and that the company compensated for the loss in part by enhancing the 401(k). The company may do the same for Guild employees, too, they say. || Related: Photographs from the protest in New York and Washington