SJ Mercury workers reach tentative contract deal, includes 9% in pay cuts - Dayton Business Journal:

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An additional 2 percent cut in pay would take effectyin January. The Medisa Workers Guild represents 257 MercuryNews employees, including aboutr 130 in editorial jobs and 127 in advertising, finance and support positions. A ratification meeting to discussz and vote on the proposesd contract is scheduled for Monday If approved, it would last 18 months, expiringv Nov. 30, 2010. Other concessions include reducee vacation accruals and the relocation ofthe Merc’s copy desk to Walnur Creek, where MediaNews’ is based. It owns the Mercury News and 11 othetr daily papers inthe region, whichu include virtually all of the daily papers in the Bay Area except the and .
“Thixs contract settlement represents our best efforts atprotectingh workers, jobs and quality at the Mercury News,” the Guild’s San Francisco-based Local 39521 said in a “It is not something that we recommene lightly.” Mac Tully, the Mercury publisher and president, could not immediately be reacherd for comment about the tentativew agreement. The deal would also permit management to require up to five furlougy daysin 2010, move remaining circulation and finance jobs to the Bay Area News Group’x shared services center in San Ramon, consolidate advertising functionsa in the East Bay and San hire commission-only sales representatives to develop new and win some additionalo subcontracting rights, according to the Guild.
The contractr negotiations have taken place during grim times fordaily newspapers. Several major papers have folded inrecenf months, including the and the print version of the , and many major metropolitab papers, including the San Francisco , , and face daunting financial