• by Sara Guaglione , January 18, 2016

A report from YourErie.com says more than half a dozen senior reporters and editors retired before the deal was closed last Tuesday. Publishers Daily reported the announcement of the deal in December.

Gatehouse Media, the subsidiary of New Media, met with many of the papers' employees last Wednesday to discuss initial terms and conditions of future employment, YourErie.com reports.

"I have been here for 26 years; obviously, this is off-putting to some people," Kevin Flowers, president of the Erie News Guild-CWA Local 38187 told the publication. "It's change, and it's different.”

Flowers added that Gatehouse Media is looking to “outsource some jobs.” It is not yet known how many jobs may be outsourced or cut from Erie. Flowers said all current employees were offered positions with the new Gatehouse company.

"We're never happy when you're talking about outsourcing jobs with people you've worked with for 25 to 26 years," Flowers told Erie News Now.

The publication received a document from employees detailing the terms and conditions of employment. It said Gatehouse Media will subcontract operational jobs within the Times Publishing Company, including designers, editors, advertising associates, call center and payroll personnel.

"Consider that this is their initial terms and conditions," Flowers told the pub. "This is what they said they intend to do. We will have to have bargaining conversations about those things."

At the time of the announcement in December, John Mead Flanagin, chairman of the Times Publishing Company's board of directors, said the board believes: "This is the right time to adapt to the new environment and have the Erie Times-News and our digital businesses move into the future as part of a larger media organization."

The Erie Times-News has a circulation of about 40,000 daily and 55,000 on Sunday and serves the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania.

The Mead family had completely owned or controlled The Times Publishing Co. for 127 years. In August 2003, company vice president James E. Dible was promoted to CEO, president and publisher, succeeding the retiring Michael Mead, a grandson of the company founder.