'Chicago Sun-Times' Planning To Lay Off 40 From Newsroom

By: Mark Fitzgerald Chicago Sun-Times management said Friday it plans to cut 35 union and five non-union jobs from the newsroom.

In a memo to employees, Sun-Times parent Sun-Times Management Group (STMG) said the cut is part of the struggling Chicago-area chain's previously announced plan to chop $50 million in operating costs in the next six months.

Chicago Newspaper Guild Local Executive Director Jerry Minkkinen told E&P that negotiations on the reduction are expected to begin next week.

"How this process works is, this defines the size of the pie from their perspective," he said. "This starts a two-week period in which they're required to negotiate with us to try to lessen the effect or eliminate the possibility of involuntary layoffs. ... We will be doing everything we possibly can to avoid involuntary layoffs."