Philly Newspapers to Lay-Off Half Of Work Force

The Philadelphia Inquirer plans to close its printing plant on River Road in Upper Merion Township and lay off roughly 500 employees there.

In a letter to employees obtained by the Business Journal, Publisher Lisa Hughes announced the decision on Friday, saying the newspaper is pursuing a plan to move the printing of the Inquirer and Daily News to Gannett’s unionized facility in Cherry Hill. It will close and sell the what it calls the Schuylkill Printing Plant but did not confirm the identity of the potential buyer.

“These decisions are the result of a strategic planning process that significantly addresses the decades-long disruption of the newspaper business, made worse by the impact of Covid-19,” Hughes told employees. “Like many other newspapers, we concluded that moving our manufacturing to a neighboring unionized plant while maintaining the same level of service to our readers and advertisers is the best option for the long-term sustainability of our business and the journalism it delivers.”

Hughes said while the sale is not yet final, management recognizes “how deeply unsettling and distressing this is to employees at the printing plant. They have served our readers tirelessly, with dedication and devotion to the craft. Many of them have spent decades with the company — and all performed their jobs valiantly when the pandemic arrived. We are working closely with the unions that represent those employees to address the impact with severance and outplacement services.”

An article in the Inquirer said that “up to 500” employees could be impacted. When asked for comment, an Inquirer spokesman referred the inquiry to the Tierney Agency, who said the company would have no other comment other that the statement from Hughes. Asked about potential job loss, Timothy Spreitzer of Tierney would only say that what was reported by the Inquirer was accurate.

The layoffs account for about half of the The Inquirer's workforce. The company also published the Daily News.

NewsGuild of Greater Philadelphia President Diane Mastrull told members in a note Friday that “it is with great frustration and a heavy heart that we learn today that some 500 of our colleagues at The Inquirer will lose their jobs”

Since Covid-19 shut down the economy in March, the Inquirer has had two rounds of buyouts. Almost half of the Inquirer’s advertising department — a total of 32 people — either accepted a buyout package or were laid off in May. And in August, four more employees accepted buyout packages offered by the newspaper. Ross said Friday that negotiations are ongoing about whether there would additional impact, as management hoped 12 employees would accept that round of buyouts.

The Inquirer cuts are part of a larger trend at print and broadcast media outlets who have been hit hard by steep declines in advertising revenue during the pandemic.