Albany Times-Union Lays Off 18 Despite Union Protests

The paper announced today that it had laid off “15 full-time and three part-time employees, including 11 full-time employees in the newsroom.” Among those who were let go: Monica Bartoszek, a senior editor and the newspaper’s reader representative; outdoors columnist Alan Wechsler; sports editor Bill Callen; and Marlene Kennedy, business editor and a weekly columnist, the paper said.

However, the paper’s union, the Albany Newspaper Guild — which covers nine of the fired staffers — has claimed that the company must enter a 45-day negotiation period before any layoffs can take place, MediaJobsDaily reports.