The New York Guild and Thomson Reuters management have settled the cases of eight journalists who were dismissed last year on the basis of PIPs and then unilaterally offered reinstatement after an arbitrator effectively voided the use of performance improvement plans as a disciplinary tool.

Thomson Reuters management has notified the The New York Guild that it wants to eliminate nine Guild-covered positions – five in television and print Editorial and four in technical – by the end of March. The Guild is scheduling a meeting with management to discuss the proposed layoffs.

In a letter to members, Guild leaders report on threats from Interstate General Media to liquidate or sell the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News and Philly.com as of Jan. 18, 2013, if it does not reach tentative agreements with all of its unions, including the Newspaper Guild. The Guild's contract doesn't expire until October; the 10 other union contracts expired in October 2012. "While bullying and scare tactics might be have helped at least one of the owners to make his millions, that’s a horrible way for a company responsible for publishing newspapers vital to the public trust, to operate," the Guild letter states. Photo: Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News and Philly.com headquarters.

Albany Guild members will vote Wednedsday, Jan. 16, on a plan that will increase health care costs - - but not by nearly as much as the company originally demanded. Under the negotiated agreement, union members would pay $43.90 a week, up $6.14 or 16.3 percent, from the current $37.76.