Report: SF Chronicle Tells Union to Accept Concessions or It Will Cut 225 Jobs

Owners of the San Francisco Chronicle have told union officials that it would cut at least 225 jobs if the Northern California Media Workers Guild doesn't meet its demands, sources have told Robert Gammon of the East Bay Expresss.

Gammom is reporting that most of the jobs cuts would come from the Chronicle's newsroom, and represents about half the newsroom employees. His report says that the company negotiators have informed the journalists' union that if it decides to agree to the company's demands, then only 150 jobs would be eliminated.

From Gammon's report:

The company demands include giving up senority rights and slashing vacation, sick time, and maternity/paternity leave. The company also wants the union to allow it to oustsource some jobs to nonunionized employees. Senority is viewed as one of the key issues, because the company does not want to only lay off newer, lower paid employees.

Under the current guild contract, layoffs occur in order of length of service with the company. Typically, the longer a journalist has been with the company, the higher they are paid. The company's demands are sure to divide the newsroom between younger, lower paid journalists, and older, higher paid ones.