Sting of job cuts at Tribune Publishing

For weeks, Tribune Publishing has been rumored to be readying the axe. On Monday it finally swung.

The company announced a round of voluntary buyouts, as pressure builds to stabilize the company’s cadre of struggling newspapers.

In an email to Tribune employees, chief executive officer Jack Griffin laid out the reasons behind the layoff offer.

“The senior management team and I recognize that each employee makes important contributions to our company. At the same time, in the challenging revenue environment that all publishing companies face, it is critical that we make hard decisions and take the necessary steps that continue to position Tribune Publishing Company for success over the long term,” said Griffin in the memo.

The Los Angeles Times will be hit particularly hard, with CNN reporting at least 50 editorial positions being sliced.

If Tribune does not get enough people to take the buyout, it will begin instituting non-voluntary layoffs.

The package being offered non-union employees with more than one year on the job. The payout would compensate people with on week of pay for every year at the company, up to 10 years.

The cuts come just weeks after Tribune fired the publisher of the LA Times, ratcheting up tensions that have long existed between LA and the brain trust in the Midwest.

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