• by Ray Schultz , Yesterday

The Chicago Tribune Guild has condemned a buyout offer to newsroom employees from the Tribune’s owner Tribune Publishing.

“Buyouts will harm the newspaper’s mission and hurt our company long-term,” the Guild says, according to the rival Chicago Sun-Times. “And because of that, they will hurt Chicagoans too.”

The Guild adds: “The Tribune should focus on building readership by investing in strong coverage that serves the region, not cutting staff to chase a sugar high. This plan is based on greed, not any sort of long-term planning.”

Under the current contract, full-time employees who belong to the union will get one week of base pay for every year they have been with the company, with two weeks for the first year. 

The precise buyout offer was unclear at deadline. 

Staffers can apply starting June 26, with a July 7 cutoff. Employees taking the offer will leave July 11. 

Chicago Tribune Media Group is owned by Alden Global Capital. 

In June 2024, employees at several Tribune Publishing newsrooms ratified a two-year contract with Alden Global Capital after five years of negotiations. Some NewsGuild members took part in a 24-hour strike earlier in the year.