San Diego Union Tribune makes employees sign confidentiality agreement with non-solicitation clause

The San Diego Union Tribune is reportedly making employees sign a confidentiality agreement with a non-solicitation clause.
The agreement inhibits employees from joining rival organizations and from bringing their Tribune colleagues with them (whether currently employed or unemployed at the paper). Part of the agreement states:

"I shall not solicit directly or indirectly, any person who is a SDUT employee or who has been employed by SDUT within the prior six (6) months for employment by, or any business relationship with, a competitor."

This restriction reportedly lasts two years after a staff member's employment is ended.
View the story here.

Times Co. will not close Boston Globe...yet

The New York Times is reporting that its parent, The New York Times Company, has reached a "tentative agreement" with several unions at The Boston Globe. While talks with the largest union "remain unresolved," the process of shutting down New England's largest daily has been postponed.

From the story:

In negotiations that went past the midnight deadline set by the company, deals were struck with the three unions representing more than 500 mailers, drivers and press operators. More than ever, the fate of the paper appears to turn on talks with the Boston Newspaper Guild, which represents more than 600 newsroom, advertising and business office workers. The company said it had also reached agreements with smaller unions representing machinists, electricians and other workers.

This, however, does not mean that the Globe is safe. If union members do not agree on certain concessions, the paper may be forced to close.

For more click here.

NY Times union tentatively agrees to pay cuts

The Newspaper Guild, which represents newsroom employees at The New York Times, has agreed in principle to a five percent pay cut on union employees, according to an article on the Times' website.

The company has said that the pay reduction would save $4.5 million and avert the elimination of about 80 jobs, mostly in the newsroom. But the union, in reaching the agreement, did not win assurances from the company that there definitely would not be layoffs through the end of the year. If employees are laid off during the period, however, severance packages would be paid based on employees’ salaries before the reduction.

Union members will vote on the pay cut next week. The move comes as the Times is looking for ways to save money after losing nearly $75 million in the first quarter of the year.
To read more, click here.

Star Tribune, union agree on tentative deal

The Star Tribune, currently working through Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, has reached a tentative deal with its newsroom union, according to MinnPost.com.

Workers who remain will get a 3 percent wage scale cut, a 30 percent across-the-board merit pay reduction (most of the newsroom gets so-called "overscale"), two furlough days a year for the next two years, and a pension freeze. Pension savings is not included in the $1.7 million the Star Tribune will save.

According to the article, Star Tribune management was not able to get rid of seniority when it comes to layoffs.
However, the union did agree to let management save a "small number" of less-senior employees in the event of more layoffs, so the seniority rule is no longer as concrete as it once was.
The agreement is expected to save the paper just under $1.7 million, plus pension savings.
Click here to read more.

Yahoo! Finance gets CNBC video

Yet another sign that business journalism and multimedia delivery is more important than ever, and it's as simple as supply and demand.
When the economy falters, the consumer feels he or she doesn't have enough information and wants more insight. All eyes turn toward the markets, and Yahoo! is striving to get ahead and fulfill the demand by strengthening its finance channel with a new distribution agreement with CNBC. As part of the content-sharing plan announced today, CNBC, including its global networks, will provide video clips and articles for use on Yahoo! Finance. According to the release, the agreement represents "CNBC's first global online alliance and Yahoo!'s first global finance video agreement." Video topics will include commentary, market buzz, analysis, interviews and investing segments.
For the full release, click here.