MediaNews Group expands newspaper furloughs

bizjournal ^ | February 7, 2009

[george76]

MediaNews Group Inc., which previously asked workers at its newspapers in California to take one-week unpaid leaves, is now putting employees on furlough at its papers in at least five more states.

Unpaid leaves announced or agreed to Friday apply to newspapers in Texas, New Mexico, Minnesota, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. In most cases, the furloughs are to be taken by the end of March.

It also has frozen pensions and suspended its 401(k) fund match payments for managers and other non-union workers at the Denver daily.

A MediaNews spokesman told the Associated Press on Friday that the company's employees in Texas and New Mexico have been asked to take unpaid leaves to avoid layoffs.

[george76]

MediaNews Group is in negotiations with its unions at the money-losing Denver Post, seeking $2 million in pay cuts and benefits concessions.

[abb]

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003939483
MediaNews Announces Furloughs in New Mexico and Texas

[Navy Patriot]

In Minnesota, some 300 union-represented workers at the MediaNews-owned St. Paul Pioneer Press voted Friday to accept a company request that they take furloughs, the AP said.

Mighty white of 'em. The unions always pretended that they don't want to harm the employer, but they always do. If they produced a top notch product, it would sell easily, but they produce only top notch salaries for union bosses.

[Dilbert San Diego]

I predict that the MSM will get a bail out.

I can see Obama and his henchmen saying something like, well, a free press is fundamental to democracy, newspapers are fundamental to an informed citizenry, or some such story line. Thus, a case will be made that we need to subsidize newspapers so they can exercise their 1st amendment rights/responsibilities.

Heck, so many people are voting with their wallets and not buying newspapers and magazines like Time and Newsweek, what can they do? They can’t force us to buy a newspaper.

[george76]

Thanks.

More good news

[george76]

MediaNews may look for a bailout ?

[blueplum]

It also has frozen pensions and suspended its 401(k) fund match payments for managers and other non-union workers p>

Unions inflexible to economy bump

[Morgan in Denver]

I don’t know how they could do that since they don’t file financial reports. OTOH, the ARE pretty left wing so maybe that’s not necessary with the Obama crew.

http://www.medianewsgroup.com/financials/

[SanFranDan]

Death to Zayons!

[CedarDave]

Here is the list of TEXAS-NEW MEXICO NEWSPAPERS PARTNERSHIP:

• Alamogordo Daily News
• Carlsbad Current-Argus
• The Deming Headlight
• El Paso Times
• The Daily Times, Farmington
• Las Cruces Sun-News
• Silver City Sun-News

[george76]

thanks