U-T offers buyouts

RayKinsella · Dec 4, 2007

Thoughts?

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The San Diego Union-Tribune offered employee buyouts Monday in an effort to cut dozens of positions amounting to about 6 percent of its work force.
The newspaper told employees that the move is a response to challenging industry conditions. It said it will consider layoffs if enough people don't leave voluntarily.
An internal memo lists at least 83 targeted positions, including 43 in the newsroom. The newspaper has 1,422 employees.
Other employees whose jobs were not targeted were also invited to apply for a buyout.
Employees will get 1.25 weeks' pay for every six months of employment, up to one year of pay. They have until Dec. 12 to decide whether to apply and would leave the company by the end of this year.
The Union-Tribune has weekday circulation of about 280,000 and Sunday circulation of about 360,000. It is the flagship of San Diego-based Copley Press Inc., which earlier this year sold its newspapers in Illinois and Ohio to GateHouse Media Inc. for $380 million.
Circulation has declined at the Union-Tribune and at newspapers nationwide as readers migrate to the Internet and other media such as cable TV for news, information and entertainment.
USA Today, the highest circulation newspaper in the United States and the flagship of industry leader Gannett Co., announced plans earlier this month to eliminate about 45 newsroom jobs. In October, the partnership for the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News offered buyouts in an effort cut 110 positions, or about 5 percent of the staff.
Earlier this year, the Los Angeles Times and the Orange County Register announced plans to trim their staffs.
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Chi City 81 · Dec 4, 2007

I know someone who works there. Hopefully things turn out well for him, and most others. (I would root for good fortune for all 1,422 employees, but we all know that's not going to happen. : )

Angola! · Dec 4, 2007

Damn, they have less than nine days to decide whether to accept the buyouts. That is not a lot of time to make a life-changing decision.

Lyman_Bostock · Dec 4, 2007

Maybe it isn't a lot of time, but the offer sounds pretty good.

Norman Stansfield · Dec 4, 2007

Lyman_Bostock said:

Maybe it isn't a lot of time, but the offer sounds pretty good.
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2 1/2 weeks' pay for each year is OK.

Doesn't say anything about benefits. That's where the sticking point lies for many.

deskslave · Dec 4, 2007

Angola! said:

Damn, they have less than nine days to decide whether to accept the buyouts. That is not a lot of time to make a life-changing decision.
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Well, at least it's at a time of the year when no one has anything else on their mind. Nice touch, U-T.

DanOregon · Dec 4, 2007

Sounds like a new thread: The SportsJournalists.com Christmas Carol.
But there are too many good candidates for the role of Scrooge.

Joe Williams · Dec 4, 2007

Benefits?

How about, "You're guaranteed to have both Christmas and New Year's Day off. This year and every year after that."

Have you seen the list of the "excluded" positions? Includes sports columnists and the "scoreboard editor." So if you're the head agate guy, no buyout for you! Ever!

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