SF Chronicle May Cut Over Half Its Newsroom

 

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (March 6, 2009) – Hearst has put the ball and the fate of many of the Chronicle's employees in the Guild's court: meet our demands and we'll cut only 150 jobs, or don't do it our way and 225 jobs will be lost.

According to the Northern California Media Workers Guild, company negotiators have said the Guild can help save 75 positions by agreeing to Hearst's demands.

Most of the jobs under consideration for cutting come from the newsroom, the Guild says.

What Hearst wants is for the Guild to give up seniority rights while slashing sick time, maternity and paternity leave, agreement to outsourcing some jobs. Seniority is an issue, the Guild says, because the company doesn't want to be stuck laying off only the newer, lower paid employees, freeing Hearst to go after veterans with higher salaries.

Hearst says that if the Guild balks, then 225 of the 460 Guild jobs will be gone. Unmentioned in the Hearst demands were additional details about the company's earlier assertion that the paper might be sold or closed if the Guild didn't cooperate.

 

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