Tuesday morning the committees met again. Management countered with a less generous severance package for finance employees, and with little change to their home delivery outsourcing proposal.
The change would add 180 hours of regularly scheduled labor per week, so overtime would be all but eliminated, saving over $200,000 annually. The proposal would reduce the cost of the operation because 19 Helpers working 20 hours per week costs less than five District Mangers. Regarding home delivery, the Guild proposal included a reduction of five District Manager positions and the addition of 19 part-time Helper positions. The offer included an enhanced severance package and a few options for current employees. The package proposal granted the company the right to outsource finance work to the Digital First Media-shared services center in Colorado Springs. On Monday March 7, the non-newsroom bargaining committee presented a counter-proposal addressing the company’s demand for the right to outsource finance and home delivery work.
