Voluntary Terminations

The company approached the Guild late last week about the possibility of the offer of voluntary terminations in Portland and South Portland to potentially offset some of the planned layoffs. The parties entered into a Memorandum of Understanding today on the matter where the Guild waived the language pertaining to voluntary terminations (Article XVII, Section 16) with some assurances from the company. You should have received a letter from the company at this point explaining the process for expressing an interest in a voluntary termination.

This is completely voluntary and a decision that needs to be made independently based on your personal circumstances. The company has stated clearly in the letter and Memorandum of Understanding that there will be no discrimination or retaliation for expressing an interest. There are also periods to rescind your decision both during the expression period and after selection by the company.

All Guild-represented employees, excluding distribution assistant, circulation helper and district manager classifications, should have received notice. If you are in those excluded classifications and are interested in voluntary termination, please see your supervisor or the Guild for more information.

Those selected will receive a severance lump-sum payment as outlined in the contract based on years of service and any accrued and untaken vacation and personal time. In addition, terminations will not be effective prior to July 1st so health insurance will run through the end of July.

The Guild did press to get additional health insurance benefits added to this package, but the company was unwilling to extend the benefit. The Guild still felt it was important to bring this opportunity to the membership to avoid as many forced layoffs as possible. There is no guarantee this process will eliminate the need for further layoffs or that just because you express an interest in a voluntary termination you will be selected, however.

The Guild's understanding is that any additional layoffs will take place following this voluntary termination process and will be done around July 1st. It is also our understanding that exempt and management personnel, excluding executives, are receiving a similar offer.

This is a tough decision for each individual to make. The Guild is available to answer any questions related to the contract, process and unemployment benefits. The Guild will dedicate most of its general membership meeting tomorrow at noon at 385 Congress St. to this matter. We will have experts available in unemployment compensation and benefits, re-training, and job placement to answer questions. The Guild wants to make sure everyone has as much information as possible when making this decision.

Also, feel free to call or e-mail the Guild office with any questions, 772-1202 or cbetit@local128.org.