'New York Times' Begins Round of Newsroom Layoffs

By: The New York Times has laid off at least 18 newsroom employees in the latest round of cutbacks driven by the newspaper's financial woes.

Most of the people losing their jobs were notified Wednesday and Thursday, according to Bill O'Meara, president of the New York Newspaper Guild -- the union that represents the workers who were let go.

The Times said in October it would trim 100 jobs from its newsrooms, leaving about 1,150 reporters and editors.

Management hoped to avoid layoffs with buyout packages, but O'Meara says only 73 union and nonunion workers accepted.

Times spokeswoman Diane McNulty says the newspaper still expects to reach its goal of 100 newsroom job cuts by year's end. That's nine more than what the union has been told about so far.