Sacramento Bee union workers agree to wage cuts

The Sacramento Bee's unionized news and advertising employees agreed today to a pay-cut plan that reduces the number of layoffs at the newspaper.

The vote by the California Media Workers Guild means 34 unionized news and advertising workers will be laid off. If the Guild had rejected the pay cuts, the layoffs would have totaled 53. The Guild represents about 270 of The Sacramento Bee's 1,120 employees.

Additional layoffs affecting other departments, as well as non-union news and advertising workers, are expected to be announced next week.

The cutbacks are part of a drive by The Bee's owner, The McClatchy Co. of Sacramento, to cut annual operating expenses by $100 million to $110 million. It represents the third major cutback since June for McClatchy, which is coping with a significant decline in profits and revenue that has afflicted the entire newspaper industry.

Twenty-six unionized newsroom jobs will disappear, representing about 11 percent of the total.

Under the deal accepted by the Guild, wages will be cut by up to 6 percent depending on the individual's current salary, starting in April. The Bee could also impose unpaid one-week furloughs in the second half of the year.

Linda Brooks, the newspaper's vice president for human resources, said the paper was "very grateful" for the vote.

Ed Fletcher, a Bee reporter and Guild unit chair, said the outcome wasn't worth celebrating. "There really was no way to win in this vote," he said.

The plan passed with 65 percent approval.

The Modesto Bee's union employees are scheduled to vote on a similar proposal Monday.

This story was originally published March 6, 2009 at 5:19 PM with the headline "Sacramento Bee union workers agree to wage cuts."