New York Times Announces Pay Cuts, Layoffs

NEW YORK — The New York Times Co. is cutting pay for most employees by 5 percent for a nine-month period and laying off 100 people.

The company's flagship newspaper reported on its Web site Thursday that the cuts will hit most nonunion workers and run from April through December. Employees will receive 10 days off in return.

The Times reported that union employees have been asked to take the cut voluntarily to avoid potential layoffs at the company, which has been struggling with an industrywide advertising downturn.

Job cuts will come in the business operations of The New York Times, amounting to 5 percent of the total 2,000 workers in that part of the company.

Comments

[cynthia3217]

This is an American tragedy. The NYT has been a bastion against the dumbing down of the culture. It signals a further decline of the "intellegentsia" targeted by the right wingers. The editorial contributions have always been needed. I hope that even with the cuts, the Grey Lady can survive.

[BoSoxFanNC]

Too bad they didnt shut the whole thing down and make a landfill

[Maxiesid]

I would like to know why it is that you think that once corporate media ownership finally kills the newspaper, that it will be gone forever? Actually what will happen is that it will begin again, and out of the ashes of the monstrosity it had become, the fourth estate will beging to live again. Only this time, because it wont be a giant behemoth of an entity that is owned by a political party trying to push their agenda, it will be owned by actual reporters and will begin again as a small business. People will gladly buy this paper because they will be able to count on it giving the real facts and information they want. If it doesn't it will not survive, the same as what is happening now.

[ebanks84]

Instead of asking workers to take a cut, why don't the CEOs and top management take a cut instead? That will balance it out I'm sure. How come the peons always have to give up their little bit and not top management? I'm sick of the rich always making the poor suffer so they can keep living beyond their means. The money they throw away on garbage is money the poor needs to keep a roof over their heads. I'm beginning to hate rich people.

[Lillopa]

I guess newspapers are the only company that cannot take our jobs to China? Willing to work with Americans both ways--good­..but it is no ones fault companies or other wise for news papers--- new tech..web etc..not like the other "American" companies "American" owners who give "American" jobs for cheap labour to --""Comm China"". Love of Country First ------or love in ---worship of wealth first ?

[filo]

The New York Times Co. is cutting pay for most employees by 5 percent.

I wonder if that includes the execs and board members too ??

[cinesimon]

I believe many at the top are taking a much bigger cuts than most staff are.

[schatsie]

Considering the pay packages that management has received in the past, they can afford to take a bigger income cut... after all 50% of their pay goes to the goverment in taxes....

[totaldisbelief]

O hope the lay-offs are in the Editorial Dept.

[lukebenward]

*shakes a mock men|acing fist in the air*: "Damn you, that 'Liberal Media Bias'!!!!!!!!!!!!!" lol

Joking, of course. :-)

[ESLundo]

A lot of these discussions fall into the "What killed Kong?" category. Here's five reasons why Kong is wounded, but maybe not mortally injured.
1. Hubris. Big new building, too many managers and not enough worker bees. Solution: get lean, get out of offices and be on the streets ready to report via cheap mobile tools.
2. One size fits all mentality. Pare down your print offering to just the people (and there are some) that will pay the cost of a newspaper. Everyone else gets a digital offering that will emphasize what they like best: video, breaking twits, email newsletter, web site.
3. Let your audience vote. Let readers vote stories up or down the popularity curve.
4. Marshall your reporting resources. Go for one big reporting bang per week and make sure you use all available media avenues to present that big scoop.
5. Think beyond the NYT. Star reporters should consider themselves mini-media moguls who will present their news in many, and in some cases competing, media. This is not as crazy as it sounds.

[iSeeDumbPeople]

Good riddance! Maybe now you can quit raping our eyeballs with your 24/7 commercials on TV.

[TFlint]

the TV set has a button labeled "off." Sorry you don't know how to use it.

[obamanomics]

So when is the Obama Admin going to bail out the newspapers? Government control of the media is cool especially when your leader is a socialist.

[CosmicSpaceTurtle]

Any one entity controlling the media is not a good sign. Perhaps you should complain about Rupert Murdoch's monopoly? Oh wait, when some corporate stooge controls your information, that's capitalism and the free market and is American and great, right?

By the way, President Obama is a moderate who leans left on certain issues. It's absolutely hilarious how you extremist conservatives paint anybody left of Atilla the Hun as a socialist. If President Obama was a socialist, or even remotely leaned towards socialism, he would forcibly fire all of these corrupt CEO's, take their bonus money and a good portion of their salary and redistribute it to programs designed to create jobs, to healthcare, to alternate energy research, or to charitable causes. I would enthusiastically support such a measure, but unfortunately it's never going to happen because President Obama is nowhere near as liberal as you delusional hicks make him out to be.

[TFlint]

Stop spreading this socialism lie. You don't even know what the word means.

[cinesimon]

You people better be praying to your space god for some new material - the majority of even Republican voters are laughing at you.

[portwes]

I just received a 5% paycut, as an ad designer for a large Oregon newspaper. The comments on our website were mirroring those here, i.e., the right wingers rejoicing that a liberal rag was suffering and might die, and the left wingers rejoicing that a conservative rag was suffering and might die.

In actual fact, our newspaper, like most big-city newspapers, are pretty middle-of-the-road, and that includes the NYT. The extremists will always think a newspaper presents the opposite position from their ideology.

Newspapers are a reflection of the strength of our democracy. The comment that from Avanti2 that if the NYT were more centrist, it would get more readers, is pure ignorance! The biggest reason for newspapers falling revenue is the loss of classified revenue to Craigslist, and that businesses that usually advertise are themselves going out of business, or else hanging on by a shoestring.

If they are allowed to die out, then our news will be supplied from such objective sources as internet bloggers and FOX News. Watch out what you wish for . . .

[iSeeDumbPeople]

Not all of us are "right-wingers". There is no longer any excuse clear-cutting forests and burning fossil fuels all to deliver some four-foot-wide monstrosity that people read one article out of and then donate to the local landfill.

[marthainmaine]

Re. the comments on this story are insane. The NYTimes used to be an important part of my day, I stopped buying it after the second Kerry/Bush debate. The Times stated essentially there was a debate.

I was a psychiatric nurse most of my life. (1) I knew that was much more than a debate. (2) Bush needed an adjustment of his medication­.(3) He certainly did not need to run for public office.(4) The Times was not a news paper.

[cinesimon]

I was a psych nurse too - whatever that has to do with this is anybody's guess.

But the NYT do some really great work. Their reporters are still doing actual research and use solid sources, etc etc - not the Fox-style gutter journalism seen at the Post and WSJ.

They'll not always get it right: they're not god-like.

[Avanti2]

You would think in a city of 14 million people that a newspaper would have no financial problems.

[BoSoxFanNC]

When people stop buying your product because it ceases to have a balanced agenda, that is what happens!!!!

[Texas Blue]

I love reading the NYT online. It is soooo much more than headline news and politics! I'm a Frugal Traveler addict, Maureen Dowd cracks me up, Home & Garden has fascinating articles, The Minimalist chef Mark Bittman simplifies down to your tastebuds. And, OMG, the multi-media features are just fantastic!!

Last Sunday, The City section had a write-up called "Pickling the Final Pickle"...­where else but the Lower East Side of NYC? I spend all morning on Sundays reading the NYT...when I'm not reading Jason's Sunday Morning Talking Heads blog, of course.

For me, it's similar to going to the library and spending a few quiet hours with your nose buried in books about fascinating people you'll never meet or exotic places you'll never see. (Some of us are not able to travel the world, you know?)

The only other publication I read cover to cover is Vanity Fair. Love it, Love it, Love it.

I love to read, so maybe that's behind my passion. (Shrug)