ShopSmart closing sparks labor dispute

Consumer Reports decision to close ShopSmart magazine has sparked a dispute with the union that represents its journalists, reports Keith Kelly of the New York Post.

Kelly writes, “Like its larger-circulation sibling title, ShopSmart accepted no paid advertising because it did not want its editorial mission to be influenced by advertisers. It relied on newsstand and subscription sales for the bulk of its revenue.

“‘I’m sad, but I feel we accomplished a lot,’ said Freeman. The magazine had 342,000 paid subscribers at $4 per issue, while newsstand consumers had to fork over $5.99 an issue.

“The sudden shutdown of ShopSmart has angered the editorial union, News Guild of New York (formerly the Newspaper Guild). Twelve unionized workers and six managers were slated to be laid off as a result of the closing, the Guild was told on Tuesday.

“Bill O’Meara, president of the News Guild, claimed that Consumer’s Union, the parent company, is ‘violating seniority rights and ignoring contract language that bans layoffs of long-term employees.’ He vowed that the Guild ‘will fight back.’

“A company spokesman had not returned a call on the labor dispute by press-time.”

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