Debunking Tronc's anti-union talking points

Colleagues –

We’re excited about voting for the Guild on Jan. 4 and joining the unionized ranks of our peers at The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, AP and many others.

We’re determined to safeguard the future of The Los Angeles Times and the journalism our readers love.

In opposing our historic campaign, Tronc doesn’t have a good story to tell. So it’s resorted to misinformation and scare tactics. Here are some reality-based reminders:

Lavish executive pay

Tronc’s own financial filings show that it lavishes millions of dollars on excessive salaries, bonuses, stock awards and perks for a handful of top executives. Tronc just gave Chairman Michael Ferro a sweetheart deal that pays him $5-million a year to provide “consulting services” to his own company. He gets all the money up front at the start of the year, and what he does with it is entirely his choice.

This is on top of the nearly $5 million Tronc has already spent to lease Ferro a private jet from one of his own firms.

Tronc has struggled to defend these outlays -- and claims that executive compensation falls outside our Guild negotiations. Wrong. Once we unionize, we can demand that Tronc redirect some of those millions to the newsroom. Our readers and our city will be watching.

Continue reading at the Los Angeles Times Guild