(Reuters) -- The Boston Globe and its biggest union suspended talks Monday over concessions that parent company The New York Times Co. is seeking to keep the 137-year-old newspaper open.
That leaves the future of New England's largest newspaper in doubt for at least another day, even after the Globe reached agreements with three smaller unions that represent those who print and deliver the paper, according to local media reports.
The Boston Newspaper Guild, which represents some 600 workers including the newsroom staff, is now the sole holdout in talks over cost-cutting. A major sticking point has been lifetime job guarantees that the union wanted to preserve and management wanted to end.
"The negotiations are done today," union President Daniel Totten told reporters in Weymouth, Mass., where talks were held over the weekend.
"We will reconvene in short order," Totten said, according to a report on the Globe Web site.
The agreements with the other unions included some changes to a system that provides lifetime employment to certain workers, though the unions did not provide specific details. The unions have argued that ending lifetime job guarantees would pave the way for layoffs of senior staff.
Management rejected the Newspaper Guild's offer, which includes a 3.5% pay cut for most employees, an unpaid furlough, an increase in the early retirement age and a reduction in pension and 401(k) contributions, the Globe said.
The two sides have not set a time or location for the next round of talks, said a source who was not authorized to discuss the matter.
The source said it was possible that talks could resume later Monday or on Tuesday.
A New York Times spokeswoman declined to comment.
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