Unpaid furlough day agreement at Detroit Free Press stops layoffs

                                                                                                          Flckr.com

Detroit – In an effort to keep from having to lay off employees in the newsroom at the Detroit Free Press, employees have agreed to take a five-day furlough in exchange for no job cuts through March.

Without the agreement with members of the Detroit Newspaper Guild and the Detroit Media Partnership, there would have been immediate layoffs. The unpaid days off will be scheduled in 2010.

Included in the unpaid furlough days are the Detroit Free Press editor and publisher Paul Anger and other non-union newsroom managers.

The Detroit Media Partnership and Detroit Newspaper Guild run the business operations at the Free Press and The Detroit News.

The president of Guild Local 22, Lou Mleczko said newsroom employees at the News probably will consider a similar plan.