This won't just be a problem at the crisis moment of layoffs. This becomes a huge morale problem immediately. Newsrooms always have had teacher's pets, because of some man- or woman-crush that an editor has on a young journalist, because of their lower salaries and longer work hours (better bang for the bucks, y'know, in part because they're more likely to be single and free from family obligations), and because they are the ones most likely to have been hired by the current managers.

That last one always has been a dicey dynamic because the newest teacher's pets often crowd out yesterday's pets -- the boss who hired you and thought you were hot stuff moves on, and a new boss comes in and can't claim credit for hiring you, so YOUR value goes down even if your work remains excellent. This is what happens in such a thoroughly subjective profession -- you're only as good as the current boss thinks you are, and there are few ways to prove different.

In the past, the suddenly disregarded and neglected journalists at least could take solace in knowing that they would have their jobs over the young'uns, if times got tough, thanks to seniority. Now that will be gone. In a group of 100 reporters, the person who has been there longer than 25 others will be on the bubble. Don't think for a moment that lunchroom lists won't be compiled starting immediately, guessing at the chosen ones and calculating who really would be in jeopardy.

At which point, there's this: That person or those persons will have paid Guild dues a heck of a lot longer than the newbies, for less security. Might the union, based on this and the stagnant pay/benefits, soon be reducing its dues, so members aren't paying more for less?

If I'm the person on or close to the 25/75 line, I sure as heck am not in favor of the change. And if you need to cut 25 percent, you'll end up with the newbies, then a big gap in mid-career people, then a bunch of lifers. Until the next round, then more of the lifers get thrown overboard.

Good luck with all of this. Should make for a real unified newsroom, the epitome of team.

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