Gannett Newspapers to Furlough Employees

January 5th, 2011 5:57 PM

The outlook for the new year doesn't look prosperous for community print journalism if the financial trouble bedeviling the parent company of USA Today is any indication.

From NewJerseyNewsRoom.com:

Revenue news hasn't gotten any better in the new year for one of New Jersey's biggest newspaper publishers. Gannett Co. Inc, told workers of its largest division Tuesday that they will have to take a week off without pay to avoid more layoffs as revenue continues to fall.

The furloughs during the first quarter will affect workers at the 81 newspapers that make up Gannett's U.S. community publishing division, including the Courier-Post. They will not apply to Gannett's flagship newspaper, USA Today, or to the Detroit Free Press.

 

The Courier Post reports that for now, the furloughs will only apply to non-union workers, but Gannett says it is contacting union representatives to discuss furloughs for the rest.

 

The Indianapolis Newspaper Guild reported that an email their unit received said that the company will be "communicating separately with union representatives to discuss the treatment of bargaining unit employees."

In a brief January 5 article on the development, the Associated Press noted that:

Although the latest furloughs will not affect USA Today, Gannett's biggest daily is also under strain. The newspaper has cut 35 newsroom jobs and is overhauling its newsroom to emphasize the Web over the printed edition.