New York Times Cutting 100 Newsroom Jobs

 

NEW YORK, NY (October 20, 2009) – Staffers in the newsroom were stunned to learn this week that executives are eliminating 100 jobs at The New York Times by the end of this year, and that if enough people don't leave voluntarily the company will resort to layoffs.

Newsroom workers were told Monday that union and non-union employees will be offered buyouts so that about 8 percent of the current staff will be cut. In 2008, the Times also eliminated 100 newsroom jobs. During that round, about 15 to 20 employees were laid off after the buy-outs were negotiated.

Already Times employees have taken a 5 percent pay cut this year, and they had been told the pay reduction was to help prevent any future staff reductions, according to the Times.

Recent figures showed that the decline in advertising sales has not slowed in the third quarter. Results from the McClatchy Company and Gannett came out last week and the Times' adverting revenues for the third quarter are expected to be announced tomorrow. The Times reported that industry wide, advertising revenue was down 28.6 percent in the first half of 2009, and was keeping nearly the same pace into the third quarter – meaning that forecasts of a turn-around coming this year have been "too optimistic."

The Times reported this week that cuts in other departments have been far more severe than in the newsroom, and cuts have been made including eliminating certain sections of the print product and slashing the budgets for freelance journalists.

Times executives said the newsroom is not the only target for job cuts, as employees in advertising and other departments will also receive buy-out offers.

According to the newspaper, employees will receive buy-out offers in the mail and the company will send them out tomorrow. Employees will have 45 days to consider the offer. Most newsroom employees are Guild members, who will receive an offer of three weeks' pay for each year of service. Non-Guild workers will be offered two weeks for each year, the Times reported.

 

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