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Page Q, Whitby Free Press. Wednesday, December 7, 1994 llt hhur bld fails. topre'vent T imes' closinig By Mike Kowalski An eleventb-bour attempt te, prevent the closing of the Osh- awa Times failed last weekend. Striking eipployees of tbe Thomson-owned daily rejected a proposai from management Whicb would have seen the 123- opa=el newspaper continue te oprtbut in a drastically revamped format. The new paper would have been publisbed ne more than two or three days a week and most empleyees would have lest their jobs. In addition, those frtunate enough te keep their jobs would have been bit with an 18 per cent wage roliback, The F*ree Press was told. As a result of the workers' (77?\Ž CokosYour WortI@ 'wwI decision, Tmes publisher F.M. 'Mac' Dundas confirmed Monday that the company would go ahead with previeus1 announ- ced plans te cease publihn h mey-losing newspaper. Te paper bas net published since tbe 75 union employees walked off the job Nov. 7 after rejecting management's offer of a tbree-year wage freeze. The workers were willing te take a two-year freeze, but were oppesed te an additional year without an increase. Dundas was net available fer comment Menday. But in a press release, be explained that new proposaI stemmed from provincial media- tor Shirley Nicholson's earlier request te «define" the terms under whicb the company's pre- vmous offer could be accepted. Union officiais were informed Saturday that in order to remain a viable entity, the Mmnes would have to start a new product with fewer employees, Dundas statod. '«The new paper. would have reuired fewer people, hence abut 25 per cent of the former staff would have been recalled on astagered schedule," he said. Sic he revised paper would have been printed elsewhere, no pressmen would have been recal- led, Dundas noted. They and ail other employees not retained would h ave received severance pay. The "original final offer' and new conditions were accepted by the Grapbic Communication s International Union representing the paper's five pressmen and the six compesing roem empioyees in the Communication Workers of America, Dundas said. But members of the largest union at the Oshawa Times, the Soutbern Ontario Newspaper Guild, turned it down, he adids. The Guiid represents repor- ters, most editors and other newsroom empioyees, as weil as advertising, circulation, classi- fied and mailroom staff. Reporter and Guild spokesper- son Brian Legree said only 18 of the 75 union workers would have kept their jobs under the new "T4here would be no press reom, ne composing room, no mailroom and editoriai (news- reom) staff would be cut te four," said Legree. And those returning were faced with an 18 per cent cut in wages, he said. (Dundas' press release makes ne mentien of Legree's claim.) The vote te reject the new otlér was 34-12, said Legree, who sus- pected that the 12 wbo voted in faveur did se te coliect the severance package without any hassies. (The Free Press was previeusly told that thA unions anticipate a Ou Fies In eo ae , SATIN FLAT Price guaranteed tii Dec. 31/94 1916 Dundas Street East, Whitby battie from Thomson Newspa- pers Cerp. on this isâtie.) Despite the wage freeze, management's final offer indlu- ded a $500 bonus for fuil-time staff and a $250 bonus for part- time workers if the p aper turned a profit in the third year of the contract. The paper had lest $1.8 million in the last four years and was expected te lose money the next two years as well, tbe cempany claimed. The wage freeze was proposed after management drepped an earlier demand for a 10 per cent pay cut across the board. Union officiais, however, poin- ced eut that recent settlements at other Thomson newspapers in Canada resulted in two-year con- tracts, with ne increase in the first year, but a twe per cent increaso in the second. The Times was one of 150 Nerth American newspapers ewned by the Thomson cor- poration, a world-wide media empire headed by billienaire Kenneth Thomson' Canada's wealthiest individual. Since last week's announce- ment that the paper would close, morale among former employees bas been decidely mixed, Legree said. "Somne people feel liberated, some p ---- d off, but I wouldn't sai' there's a comnmon thread," he said. Meanwhile, the workers will continue producing their own paper, the Oshawa Independent, or at least another two months. Guild officiais in Toronto agreed last week to extend the former Times employees $200 weekly strike beneits until the end of January. This will allow the union more time te determine if the free- circulation weokly tabloid can stand on its own. The Guild bas provided the buik of the paper's financing to date althbugh sufficient- revenue bas ý,een generated from adver- tising sales to encourage those involved in the paper. BOB NICOL (at podium) started things off with some weI-aimed ba rbs at the Des Newman roast. 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