Agreement Drops 'Post' and 'News' Pressmen from "N.Y. Times'

By: Jim Rosenberg Under the agreement with its pressmen's union announced Monday, The New York Times expects the "primary" route to halving its press manning to be through curtailed use of press operators who ordinarily work at the New York Post and the Daily News, as well as through voluntary separations, according to Times spokeswoman Catherine Mathis.

In workforce reductions of 37% this year and 9% in 2010, "there aren't going to be any layoffs," said Mathis. Though she would not give the size of a typical press crew or the total number of pressmen ordinarily used at the paper's Edison, N.J., and Queens, N.Y. plants, Mathis said the Times employs approximately 260 pressmen and relies on an unspecified number from the Post and News in order to reach contracted manning levels. Post and News pressmen may be used in the future, if necessary.

"Members of the unions will receive a bonus for having ratified the contract," said Mathis, who declined to quantify the bonus. The spokeswoman also would not detail incentives offered to those who elect to leave the Times, other than to note that the contract's improved health-care coverage is likely to be attractive, given the affected workers' demographic profile.

Under the agreement, pay hikes are limited to an annual average of 2.3% through 2017, when the contract expires. The current contract was set to expire next March, and the two sides had been talking for some time, according to Mathis.

Through last winter, the two sides were still far apart on some issues, including pay. Early this year the Times obtained an injunction to deal with what it described as pressroom work slowdowns and resulting losses, including web breaks and an expensive misplating.

New York Newspaper Printing Pressmen's Union No. 2 President William Loftus called the agreement "a fair balance" between union and company interests. "We now are looking forward to a positive working relationship with The Times over the long term of this agreement," he said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the GCIU, of which the local pressmen's union is a part, has recommended that members vote in favor of a merger with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.