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June 8, 2009

Blethen's top execs, nonunion workers to get axe

By The Mainebiz News Staff

Top executives and 22 non-union employees at Blethen Maine Newspapers will lose their jobs once the investment group led by Bangor-native Richard Connor completes its acquisition of Maine's largest media company, according to the Portland Press Herald.

The company this afternoon told 22 non-union employees that they would not be retained once MaineToday Media Inc. takes over, the paper reported. Robert Bickler, CEO of the Press Herald, also told the paper that top executives at Blethen Maine Newspaper would be losing their jobs, including himself; Jeannine Guttman, editor and vice president of the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram; John Christie, publisher of the Kennebec Journal in Augusta and Morning Sentinel in Waterville; and Eric Conrad, executive editor of the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel.

Connor, editor and publisher of The Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., has been working to buy Blethen Maine Newspapers from The Seattle Times Co. Blethen includes the Press Herald, the Kennebec Journal, the Morning Sentinel, some weekly and niche papers and an online division. Several unions at Blethen Maine Newspapers have been voting over the past few weeks to accept contract concessions to pave the way for the sale, which has yet to be finalized. More layoffs are expected once the deal is final, the paper said.

Reader comments

From union failure (Wed 6/10/2009 6:27 AM)

Just another example of a labor union run amuck in Maine. When they bankrupt all businesses by completing their takeover of Augusta maybe Maine citizens will wake up!  

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