By: Joe Strupp The Boston Globe is apparently making "serious progress" with unions over some $20 million in concessions management is seeking from employees in order to avoid a threatened shutdown or sale of the paper, according to a report on its Web site.
The New York Times Co., which owns the Globe, has set Friday as a deadline for the rank-and-file to agree to givebacks of salary and benefits in order to prevent the paper from closing.
In a story posted today, the Globe reported talks with the Newspaper Guild and other unions were going well, noting Teamsters Local 1, which represents about 250 mailers, bargained for 10 hours on Wednesday.
The Guild, which represents more than 600 staffers, also bargained into the early morning hours, the paper reported. Another session with the Guild is scheduled for Friday. The Times Co. is seeking $10 million, or about half of the union concessions, from the Guild, the story said.
In a staff memo today, Boston Globe publisher P. Steven Ainsley described the union negotiations as "substantive" and said the paper will "emerge from this difficult period in better shape than when we entered it," the Globe reported.
"While there is much work yet to be done it is fair to say all parties are negotiating sincerely," Ainsley said in the memo. "The stakes are simply too big to do otherwise and it is apparent all involved understand this."
When asked about the progress of talks, Times Company Spokeswoman Catherine Mathis said in an e-mail to E&P only that "We are continuing to negotiate with our unions in Boston."
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