PD to cut 38 unionized newsroom jobs

Posted by Sarah Hollander on Cleveland.com as breaking news at 7:04 p.m.

The Plain Dealer plans to cut 38 unionized newsroom positions by year's end, further whittling the size of its staff.

President and Publisher Terry Egger announced the decision to union members Tuesday, blaming worse than expected advertising revenue and hard times ahead for the newspaper industry.

"This is a tough decision," Egger said. "But the end result of what we're trying to do is keep the newspaper strong and able to serve the community for a long time."

The Plain Dealer is turning a small profit, Egger said, but much less than expected.

Traditional media like newspapers, television and radio have suffered revenue declines in recent years because of a weakening economy and marketers' decisions to spend more on Internet advertising.

Newspapers across the country, from San Diego to Akron to Newark, have been trying to cut costs through buyouts and layoffs. The nation's biggest newspaper chain, Gannett, recently announced plans to cut 1,000 jobs at its papers.

At The Plain Dealer, the target number represents about 16 percent of the newsroom's Northeast Ohio Newspaper Guild members, including reporters, photographers, support staff and some editors.

Employees have been given until Nov. 20 to decide to leave voluntarily. If 38 don't volunteer, the paper will then move to layoffs, Editor Susan Goldberg said.

The severance package would include two weeks of pay for every year worked. Health insurance is not part of the package.

No decisions have been made yet on who should be cut, Goldberg said. Layoff criteria will follow provisions of the union contract, which include job performance, special skills or abilities, adaptability to future work assignments and length of service.

"I think every department will be affected to some extent," she said.

The decision comes at the tail end of a buyout offer made to most of the paper's non-union employees, including newsroom managers, as well as employees in advertising, circulation and other departments. They were offered six to 18 months pay and health care coverage, depending on their time at the paper.

Egger said 10 newsroom employees took that buyout, but he wouldn't give a company wide number. Still, the paper needs to cut expenses further, he said.

In 2006, The Plain Dealer offered a buyout to all of its employees. Sixty-four newsroom employees left at that time in exchange for severance packages that remain among the most generous in the industry.

The newsroom now includes 299 employees, with 238 of those represented by the Newspaper Guild..

Rollie Dreussi, executive secretary of the local guild, said members wonder why more management jobs aren't being cut. "Our people provide the content," he said. "It's unfair for us to take the burden of 38 people."

The paper's owner, Advance Publications, for many years has pledged not to cut non-union employees for economic reasons, although their job duties can be shifted.

Dreussi also said he hopes the company reconsiders its decision not to offer health care coverage.