Post-Dispatch lays off UMG members

The Post-Dispatch laid off nine members of the United Media Guild, including seven full-time employees and two temporary employees. The impacted employees include four reporters, one editor, two editors working on a temporary basis, a work station operator and a carpenter.

Under the terms of our collective bargaining agreement, other UMG members may volunteer to accept the layoff in their place.

Employees hired before Dec. 1, 1994 get one week of severance pay for every six months of continuous employment, up to 66 weeks.

Employees hired after Dec. 1, 1994 get one week of severance pay for every one year of continuous employment, up to 26 weeks.

UMG members interested in volunteering to resign to collect the severance should contact human resources.

According to our contract, “within a period of two weeks from the date of such notice any employee in a classification within the affected department may resign voluntarily and take dismissal pay under the provisions of Article XV of this Agreement, provided the total of such resignations shall not exceed the number of jobs affected in a given classification within that department.”