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MARATHON TALKS "It's a lot of money," Guild president Daniel Totten said of cuts. "We've discussed various ways that have been rejected." |
Globe, Guild focus on size of pay cuts as negotiations continue
Boston Globe management and the Boston Newspaper Guild, in talks that continued past midnight this morning, were focusing on limiting the size of the pay cut the union's members would have to take as both sides tried to resolve a contract dispute, according to union members with knowledge of the negotiations.
Guild members just nine days ago rejected a $10 million package of concessions that included an 8.4 percent pay cut, as well as five days of unpaid furloughs, deep reductions to health and retirement benefits, and the elimination of lifetime job guarantees for about 170 veteran members. The size of the pay cut was viewed as a key reason for the proposal's narrow defeat.
Depending on experience, reporters make from about $40,000 to $70,000 a year, under the Guild contract. The Guild represents nearly 700 editorial, advertising, and business office employees at the Globe.
Negotiators spent much of the past two days haggling over the value of the concessions included in the package, scrubbing numbers to determine whether additional savings could be found to reduce the size of the pay cut, according to union members.
"We are still in discussions with the Guild over their alternative proposals to the 23 percent wage cut which is now in effect," Globe spokesman Robert Powers said early this morning. "But at this point we have not reached an agreement."
Michael Paulson, a reporter and Guild member monitoring the negotiations, said there were two outstanding issues: the reconfiguration of the $10 million in concessions to limit pay cuts and the handling of the 23 percent pay cut between now and implementation of a new contract. Under the Guild's bylaws, an agreement couldn't be ratified for at least 30 days, meaning members would lose nearly a quarter of their paychecks for at least that long.
"The two sides are making ongoing progress," Paulson said, "and we're very hopeful that they are going to reach an agreement that will be acceptable to both the company and its employees."
The Times Co. has insisted that Guild provide $10 million in savings, so any reduction in the pay cut has to be covered by savings in other areas.
The bargaining has dragged on because "it's a lot of money," Guild president Daniel Totten said in an interview before negotiations resumed yesterday. "We've discussed various ways that have been rejected by the company."
Negotiators returned to the table yesterday afternoon following a marathon session Monday that lasted more than 12 hours.
The Guild is the only major union that has not approved concessions sought by the Times Co., which in April threatened to close the paper unless it could gain a total of $20 million in savings from Globe unions.
The Guild has challenged the imposition of the 23 percent pay cut, filing an unfair labor charge with the National Labor Relations Board. The first hearing was scheduled for yesterday, but Guild officials postponed it so they could continue bargaining.
Robert Gavin can be reached at rgavin@globe.com.
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
