A local union sniffs something fishy about a pending purchase of The Macomb Daily, Royal Oak Tribune and several other Michigan papers, business writer Brian O'Connor reports in The Detroit News.
The Newspaper Guild, says the proposed transaction isn't a legitimate asset transfer and shouldn't be used to void existing union contracts.
The Guild and three other unions unions will meet Sunday to discuss a possible strike or other actions, O'Connor writes.
The unions represent about 200 workers, including reporters, press operators, typographers and Teamsters at the Daily and Tribune, which are now owned by the Journal Register Co. Journal Register is getting ready to exit bankruptcy reorganization in mid-April after it sells most of its assets to 21st CMH Acquisition Co. -- a unit of Alden Capital, which owns Journal Register.
The papers apparently are being "sold" to the current owner, as the unions see it.
Journal Register has notified 844 Michigan workers at the represented papers and at non-union operations that they could be laid off, O'Connor notes.
After extending contracts on a month-to-month basis, Journal Register informed the unions the contracts would be terminated March 31. . . .
"We've told Journal Register that will provoke a labor dispute," Lou Mleczko, president of Local 3402 of the Newspaper Guild, said Friday night. "In what form, we don't know. Whether it will be an advertising and circulation boycott or some other job actions, that remains to be seen. We'll be discussing all those options with the membership on Sunday."
