Globe’s Future Hangs In The Balance After Union Rejects Contract

The largest union at the Boston Globe, the Boston Newspaper Guild, has rejected a new contract with the paper’s owner, The New York Times Co. The contract would have cut salaries by 10 percent and slashed health benefits, pensions and retirement plans for a saving of $10 million.

The Guild says the Times must do better. But the Times says it is not going back to the bargaining table and, instead, will cut pay for Guild members by 23 percent, effective next week. The Times has dropped its previous threat to shut down the newspaper.

Vote breakdown: Editorial v. business

The vote was close, with 277 members voting against the contract and 265 members voting in favor.

The Guild is made up of 670 members, half from the editorial side of the operation and half from the business side. The classified and advertising side strongly and vocally opposed the deal, whereas the reporters and editors seemed more resigned. The voting was secret, so we don’t know how the results broke down, but union members have said the building was more or less split in half, and the outcome supports that idea.