No deal yet
with Boston Globe union
Negotiations stretch deep into Wednesday without progress
By Diego Vasquez
Jun 18, 2009
The 23 percent pay cut for Boston Newspaper Guild members remains in effect, but the union and the New York Times Co. are continuing talks.
That’s the word from Beantown, where the two engaged in a marathon all-night session ending Wednesday morning without coming to an agreement.
Still, another round of face-to-face negotiations is scheduled for Monday, which will mark two weeks since the BNG voted down an accord that would have essentially cut salaries 10 percent.
The parent company imposed the 23 percent cut over the weekend, insisting it was necessary to meet a goal of cutting $10 million in costs through the paper’s biggest union. A half-dozen smaller unions had already agreed to concessions totaling $10 million.
The Times Co. said earlier this year that it would close the paper unless the unions made significant concessions.
It’s since backed off that stance, though it may not be the Globe’s owner for much longer. Soon after the BNG, which has roughly 700 members, rejected the new contract, word came out that the Times Co. had retained Goldman Sachs to field bids for the 137-year-old paper.
Whether there’s a real interest in selling the paper or just in breaking the union remains to be seen, but the union is playing hardball, too. It has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board.
Last year the Globe lost $50 million, and it’s expected to lose $85 million this year.
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