The News informed the Guild on Monday that the hole it needs to close in order to prevent any layoffs from Guild ranks has diminished from $2.9 million to $1.2 million as a result of the number of employees who took the buyout after Feb. 25.
As a result, a number of employees formerly on the layoff list have had their positions restored, primarily in the Editorial ranks. Those still at risk include 13 district managers, five Group C clerks from Inside Circulation, two sports clerks in Editorial, and one Group B employee from Classified Advertising.
By last Friday’s buyout deadline, 16 district managers had taken the buyout in the face of being laid off by the company. Additionally, four Editorial employees, two Customer Service employees, three Classified Advertising employees and four employees from Accounting/Bookkeeping also took the buyout after Feb. 25.
The Guild bargaining team met Monday afternoon to discuss potential proposals to reduce the $1.2 million figure further. The team will negotiate with management again on Friday. In the meantime, the Guild will be continuing its mobilization efforts. We appreciate everyone’s participation.
Buffalo Newspaper Guild CWA Local 31026 