Post plans to cut 25 jobs with editorial buyout plan

David Milstead, Rocky Mountain News

Published April 19, 2006 at midnight

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The Denver Post aims to cut 25 newsroom positions - roughly 10 percent of the staff - through a combination of buyouts and early-retirement packages.

Editor Greg Moore told his staff of the separation plan in a series of newsroom meetings Tuesday. Most of the newsroom is eligible.

"It's budget," he explained. "We're trying to cut expenses in this tough economic climate."

Moore said the plan is currently "capped" at 25, but "if more people wanted to take it, we'd be able to accept it."

He declined to discuss terms of the plan. Employees have 45 days from Tuesday to decide on the offer.

The Post will offer from one to one-and-a-half weeks' pay per six months work, based on years of service. No buyout will equal more than 52 weeks' pay.

"We're happy they're not doing forced staff-reduction layoffs," said Tony Mulligan, an administrative officer with the Denver Newspaper Guild, which represents employees at the Post, Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Newspaper Agency. "But we don't believe they're overstaffed now, and we're concerned about the workload on the remaining employees."

News Editor and Publisher John Temple said the paper does not plan any newsroom staff reductions.

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