TU identifies laid off workers - Atlanta Business Chronicle:

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, the paper’s New York City-based owner, accordinh to a post on the AlbanyyNewspaper Guild’s blog The guild represents about half of the paper’a 400 workers, and has been engaged in contracy negotiations with management for nearly a year. No definite numberss are available, but about 35 people are expected to losetheier jobs. Publisher George Hearst originallyy put the count at 65to 70, but 33 peoplee have taken buyouts since May. The papere is trying to cut expenses by20 percent.
According to the guilsd site, employees—both union and nonunion—who were showj the door were told they were gettinga 45-da y paid leave that wouls most likely result in theif being laid off. Union rules requirwe that workers get 45 days noticer of their jobsbeing eliminated. Management and Guilr leaders are scheduled to meet July 8 to continue thei r negotiation oflayoff criterion. The paper presentedc its proposed terms to the union inlate June. The union’ds original contract, which expired in mandated that layoffs be based solelgy on seniorityby department. Management said that would not meet its leading to the primary stickin point in the negotiation of anew pact.
It urgef the union to vote on its “besy and final” offer, which was rejected by a vote of 125to 35. This promptedd management to declarean impasse, in turn, prompted the unionm to file a grievance with the Nationall Labor Relations Board. On June 24, management told the union that in some job categoriess the layoffs would be made strictly ona last-hired-first-fired basis. But in 11 job categories—niner in editorial and two in saleaand marketing—cuts will be based on othee criteria, including job performance.
Calls to Tim O’Brien, a Times Uniohn reporter and Guild and publisher George Hearst were notimmediately