We all know that the near-bankrupt New York Times is a staunch defender of the unions and the working guy in general. Then again, maybe they’re not. Particularly when it comes to their own unions. From the Boston Globe:
The New York Times Co. has threatened to shut the Boston Globe unless the newspaper’s unions swiftly agree to $20 million in concessions, union leaders said.
Executives from the Times Co. and Globe made the demands Thursday morning in an approximately 90- minute meeting with leaders of the newspaper’s 13 unions, union officials said. The possible concessions include pay cuts, the end of pension contributions by the company and the elimination of lifetime job guarantees now enjoyed by some veteran employees, said Daniel Totten, president of the Boston Newspaper Guild, the Globe’s biggest union, which represents more than 700 editorial, advertising and business office employees.
The Globe – which is owned by the NYT – is also hemorrhaging money and will, according to the same report, lose $85 million this year without cuts.
I can’t say I’m a fan of either paper, both of which serve up the same inverted world-view. But I do appreciate the irony. I really do.
