Posted on 03/04/2008 10:21:41 AM PST by abb
The Star-Ledger is planning to consolidate its two printing plants to offset economic losses, a move that could result in the elimination of some union jobs, employees were told yesterday.
The plants, in Piscataway and Montville, employ roughly 600 full and part-time workers. The notifications were sent to 365 employees in five unions -- press operators, mailers, drivers, machinists and platemakers.
"We have to save money by cutting our costs," said George Arwady, publisher of The Star-Ledger. "Revenues are falling."
Plant employees were notified last December the company would be seeking economic relief. Shop stewards posted notices then that said meetings with production and drivers' unions were planned for early this year.
In a separate note to employees, Arwady said then the paper had been suffering net operating losses for several years.
State and federal laws require management to give 60 days notice to workers facing potential job cuts from plant closings, though Arwady said it was not certain that all workers receiving letters would be laid off. The newspaper is negotiating with some of the affected unions and has not made a decision on which plant to close. The closing is expected May 2 or shortly thereafter.
"We hope to reach an agreement with the unions over the next 60 days that could lessen the impact on their members," Arwady said.
Officials at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and an affiliate, which represent the largest group of workers at the plants, could not be reached for comment.
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
ping
Damn that Union! Laying off employees! It's bad enough when the publisher does so, but now the Union as well?
The Red Star Ledger makes the NY Times look like the Limbaugh Letter
So it couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of folks
Wonder why they think they can do it now? Because they are desperate and the unions know this is my guess.
I haven’t intentionally read the Red Star Ledger in years. Poor (might I add very liberal slanted and often wrong) reporting == declining newspaper sales. Simple economics of news reporting.
It’s not just because of their overpowering leftist bias coloring their reporting of the news and leading to blatent lies. It’s also because people like to get news instantly, through the internet.
The number of union employees involved in printing and distribution should DECREASE proportionate to the decline in circulation.
If a newspaper is published and printed, but no one reads it, was it really worth the tree dying to make the paper?
If they would ask me, I could tell them one possible reason why they're losing money.
With CSS, stylesheets and autogenerated web pages, you don’t need typesetters and delivery people. Think of all the trees we’ll save!
mabeee, Joyzee will start waking up conservative?
Corzwine & RAT Co. are bleeding it fast.
Vote the bastRATs out into oblivion!
http://www.nypost.com/seven/03052008/business/ledger_adjustment_100437.htm?page=0
LEDGER ADJUSTMENT
By KEITH J. KELLY
March 5, 2008 — THE ax man is coming to the Newhouse empire - at least to unionized, blue-collar workers on the newspaper side of the operation.
George Arwady, publisher of the Star-Ledger in Newark, sent out 365 notices to the craft workers at the paper on Monday telling them that some will lose their jobs within the next 60 days as the paper consolidates from two printing plants to one.
“As you know from my prior communications, the Star-Ledger cannot continue to operate as it has in the past,” Arwady said in a memo to employees. “We are losing money and we must operate within our means.”
Donald Newhouse, the big boss of all the newspapers controlled by parent company Advance Publications, told Media Ink that the Star-Ledger newsroom will be spared in the latest downsizing.
snip
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