How drastic? Publisher John Cruickshank is calling it the biggest restructuring in the company's history. And if some early musings are correct, copy editors could be the big losers.
Cruickshank said the company has already notified the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union that it could contract out some work. The company would also need to formally notify the union of any layoff plans, according to the collective agreement.
The union issued its own statement saying the Star has told them it plans to contract out as many as 100 union editing jobs. The newspaper has 390 employees in the editorial department.
Another 60 jobs are expected to be cut in advertising and graphics, the union said.
Toronto Star spokesman Bob Hepburn declined to confirm those estimates, citing confidentiality reasons.
He said the severance packages will be offered to both union and non-union members in all departments, and that the company doesn't have a set quota for how many people it hopes will accept the packages.
Union leader Maureen Dawson criticized the Star's decision and said the labour group plans to offer alternatives to the planned outsourcing move.
"Journalism is a collaborative effort, the product of a team of reporters, photographers and editors working in concert to produce the kind of activist agenda that has served Star readers and our community so well for so long," she said.
"To remove a critical element of that work is to shortchange everyone who depends on it."
The Star employs about 1,300 staff across all its divisions, including its press centre in Vaughan.
Employees will have until Nov. 30 to apply for the buyouts, and the company intends to make its final decisions by Dec. 7.
The union's news release is headlined: Toronto Star union denounces plan for largest outsourcing in Canadian newspaper history
This j-source posting has Cruickshank's memo.
Some archival posts:
Feb. 27, 2008 - 'Operating cost relief' at TorStar
April 17, 2008 - TorStar cuts 160 jobs in newspaper division