#LosAngeles #Timesstaffers #stagewalkout
Hundreds of Los Angeles Times employees walked off the job Friday to protest expected layoffs that could reduce staffing by up to 20 percent; This will likely gut important areas of the news, some fear. Choose your plan ArrowRight The company told employees Thursday to "anticipate" layoffs due to budget concerns. While labor negotiations continue in secrecy, neither the management nor the L.A. The Times Guild will not say exactly how many employees will be laid off. But union said the upcoming cuts were "significant" and they are believed to affect more than 100 people in newsroom. The all-day strike, which came just a week after senior editor Kevin Merida resigned over disagreements with paper's owner, was the first work stoppage in publication's 142-year history. While politicians like Rep. Adam Schiff applauded them, Times staffers took to social media to make statements about why this was necessary. Times D.C. Outside the downtown Washington office, several staffers braved snowy conditions to hold signs. "I've been here for more than 30 years I've seen the L.A. Times go through good times and bad, ups downs," said staff writer Tracy Wilkinson. “And this seems like a really bad moment. And it's very sad.” Staff writer Noah Bierman said his job is the best he's ever had. “I feel like we're bringing really quality journalism to people. But we know that since we are on field, there is always the possibility of sword of Damocles coming." Staff expressed hope that Friday's strike might lead the company to take a more "humane and thoughtful" approach to cost-cutting, as Bierman put it. A much larger protest was held at a park in Los Angeles, where workers held signs and chanted slogans such as "Don't cut off our future." As part of the strike, newspaper employees asked readers not to visit the Times website or turn on news alerts. Union members also say they are disappointed by an administration proposal that would strip protections for senior employees in exchange for saving some positions and replacing some layoffs with buyout offers — which the union called an "impossible decision" in rejecting it. According to the union, management claimed that around 50 jobs total could be saved in exchange for giving management a freer hand choosing who to fire. “I understand they think payroll should be reduced, but trying to cut paper is going to hurt it in the long run,” said Erin B. Logan, a Washington-based reporter who serves as co-chairman. Times Guild's Black group. “This will fundamentally change the newsroom and will not be sustainable.” The cuts come as biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong, who bought the Times for $500 million in 2018, struggles to reduce the paper's annual losses, estimated at up to $50 million a year. Although the Times laid off 74 newsrooms last summer, these new cuts were necessary to reduce the company's operating budget, Times spokeswoman Hillary Manning said. “The most difficult decisions to make are those that affect our
