More Headaches (And Lawsuits) at the New York Times
The New York Times Co. has been tangling with Boston newspaper unions ever since it threatened to shut down the Boston Globe if the unions didn't agree to wage and benefit concessions. Now its union troubles are hitting closer to home. Last fall, Times Co. decided to shut down City and Suburban Delivery Systems, a Times subsidiary that was responsible for distributing the Times as well as other papers like the Wall Street Journal and New York Post. Closing C&S eliminated 550 full-time jobs, many of whom were union employees; the paper said it planned to rely on independent distribution companies instead, since they're "generally nonunion and pay drivers less." The decision has since stirred up quite a bit of controversy, not surprisingly, both with employees who took a buyout offer the Times and those who didn't. And now it's ended up in court. If you've ever wanted to pore over a ream of newspaper union agreements, you'll get your chance by clicking through and reading the complete lawsuit below.