Jun 17, 2009 11:14 am US/Eastern
All-Night Talks Produce No Deal At Boston Globe
BOSTON (AP) ―
The Boston Globe's management and its largest union say future talks on wage and benefit cuts are planned after an all-night negotiating session that lasted until daybreak Wednesday failed to yield an agreement.
Globe spokesman Robert Powers said in an e-mail that a management-imposed pay cut of 23 percent remains in effect following the latest talks. He said the two sides are scheduled to formally meet again on Monday.
Dan Totten, president of the roughly 700-member Boston Newspaper Guild, said in a statement that talks will continue Wednesday. A union spokeswoman explained the discrepancy by saying Wednesday's talks are less formal.
"We are optimistic about the prospects for reaching an agreement after our most recent talks with the company," Totten said.
The Globe lost $50 million last year and was on track to lost $85 million this year.
The New York Times Co. — the owner of the Globe — had threatened to shut down the 137-year-old newspaper if its unions did not come up with $20 million in annual concessions, including $10 million from the Guild.
Five other unions already have approved concessions, but they all hinge on the Guild's approval of new terms. After the Guild membership narrowly rejected the concessions last week, management declared an impasse and imposed a 23 percent pay cut to achieve those savings.
The Guild, which represents editorial, advertising and business employees, then filed an unfair labor complaint with the National Labor Relations Board.
A meeting on the complaint had been scheduled for Tuesday, but was postponed until Thursday so negotiations could continue.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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