ProJo offering buyouts again

BUYOUTS ARE being offered again at The Providence Journal.  / PBN FILE PHOTO/BRIAN MCDONALD
BUYOUTS ARE being offered again at The Providence Journal. / PBN FILE PHOTO/BRIAN MCDONALD

(Updated 1:33 p.m.)

PROVIDENCE – Buyouts again are being offered at The Providence Journal.
Providence Newspaper Guild President John Hill said Wednesday that the union was told by management that it wants to reduce spending and that there is a specific financial target to reach, but it was not shared.
He said they also asked if layoffs would occur if not enough employees take the buyout, but were told “one step at a time.”

The newspaper – the state’s largest – has had repeated rounds of layoffs and buyouts since 2008.
Hill said that the deadline for accepting the offer is Jan. 25; for those who accept the offer, Jan. 31 would be their last day of work. Hill said the offer is open to union and non-union employees; he was unsure of the total, but said there are approximately 200 union members.
Those who take the buyout will receive three days for every year of service, up to 12 years, with the exception of those who have worked for 40 years or more. Those employees will receive 26 weeks pay, he said. Health insurance coverage is not included with the package, he added.
“I know of no one who has put in for it yet,” Hill said.
The Providence Journal is owned by Gatehouse Media.

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