03/19/09
Members of the Lexington Newspaper Guild voted in favor of a Herald-Leader company proposal Wednesday night that would mean the loss of the equivalent of 14 union-covered jobs in the newsroom. The union's members agreed to a 5 percent wage reduction for all Guild-covered employees making more than $25,000 and less than $100,000 a year. The union's members also agreed that the company would have the right to implement a one-week unpaid furlough for union-covered employees through March 31, 2010. If the union had not agreed to the wage cuts and possible furlough, the cuts could have been deeper, with the equivalent of about 19 full-time, union-covered jobs eliminated. The vote was 83 percent to 17 percent in favor of the company proposal, according to the Guild. The union's leadership declined to say how many dues-paying members the Guild has, though it said 100 percent of such Guild members voted. About 75 full- and part-time Herald-Leader employees are covered by the union, including reporters, photographers and copy editors.
read more
