Globe union votes on second contract offer
The largest union at the Boston Globe, the Boston Newspaper Guild, representing about 700 Globe employees, is set to vote today on the second contract offer of the past four months. The first contract was rejected by an extremely narrow margin, and employees have been laboring under a forced 23% pay cut ever since. The new contract still achieves the New York Times Co.'s desired $10 million savings, the elimination of lifetime job guarantees, and a pension freeze. It contains a smaller pay cut than originally proposed but also a larger benefits cut. The Guild is the only union not to have approved the contract yet, but the vote is expected to be close. The newspaper has been put up for sale by the NY Times Co., and management says that a resolution to the labor conflict would make it much more attractive.
See "Globe union votes on second contract offer", Robert Gavin and Casey Ross, The Boston Globe, July 19, 2009