By: Joe Strupp Leaders of the Milwaukee Newspaper Guild claim the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's buyout offer announced Tuesday, which seeks to reduce the paper's workforce by up to 50 people, needs to be improved in order to attract enough people to avoid layoffs.
In a notice posted on the guild Web site, the union, which represents more than 200 workers, also contends the time frame for employees to decide on the offer is not enough.
The Guild statement contends leaders are "concerned that the three-week window to decide on the buyout will be too short for people to make life-changing decisions about their jobs, and that the offer as it stands now is 'not very enticing' in comparison to what our contract would provide in an involuntary economic downsizing."
Adds Guild President Amy Rinard: "We are deeply concerned that a reduction in newsroom staff could affect the quality of our newspaper and our online offerings. The fewer journalists we have, the less service we can provide to our readers."
The buyout offer is open to employees with 10 years or more of service and would give each person two weeks' pay for every year with the company, plus two months of health care coverage. Other employees would get 1.5 weeks of pay for each year of service, plus six months of health care coverage.
Union leaders added that: "In an economic downsizing, the Guild contract requires two weeks of pay for each year of service, plus 60 days' notice or 60 days' pay."
Rinard told the local Small Business Times: "The offer that we see in front of us is not particularly enticing. The only sweetener that is being offered now is two months of paid medical (benefits)."
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