Layoffs, job cuts don’t touch newsroom — yet; Guild meeting April 15 on what’s ahead

None of the 31 jobs eliminated at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in recent days came from the newsroom. Nor were workers represented by the Milwaukee Newspaper Guild affected by the 6% wage cut imposed on most other Journal Sentinel employees.

That doesn’t mean we’re immune to cutbacks. We’re just proceeding on a different track, starting with a buyout offer that remains open through this week. But tough choices could be ahead in bargaining next week, and the Guild has called an April 15 membership meeting to discuss what comes out of those talks.

On Monday, Journal Sentinel Publisher Betsy Brenner announced 26 full-time and five part-time workers had been downsized. Guild leaders believe these jobs came from advertising, circulation, marketing and possibly other departments.

That followed Journal Communications CEO Steve Smith’s announcement Thursday that most company employees, including newsroom managers, would receive 6% pay cuts in exchange for 10 additional paid days off. The wage cuts did not apply to workers covered by either a union contract or, in the case of broadcasters, a personal contract.

In our case, management representatives told Guild negotiators last month that the company wanted to cut $1.2 million in annual payroll costs from our bargaining unit, about a 10% reduction. To avoid layoffs, the Guild asked the company to offer a voluntary buyout and then negotiate on unpaid furloughs.

The buyout window opened last week and remains open until Friday. Depending on wage levels and part-time or full-time status, up to 24 people would have to leave to meet the target through buyouts alone; that number could be 18 or less if some higher-paid full-timers are among those taking the buyout. As far as we know, buyouts are not being offered to newsroom managers or anyone else not represented by the Guild.

Once we know who has been accepted for the buyout, and what their wages add up to, we will return to the bargaining table April 13-14. The company has signaled it is unenthusiastic about furloughs and is likely to push for cuts in base wages. But furloughs remain on the table for discussion. Management representatives have said involuntary job cuts could begin in May if a deal is not in place by the end of April.

After this round of negotiations, Guild members will discuss the outcome in a brown-bag luncheon session at noon April 15 in the company’s second-floor training center. Any deal that results from the talks will be submitted to the membership for a vote, but that vote will not come at this meeting. As in the past, the union will arrange for members to vote later by secret ballot.