For decades, the people of New Hampshire have relied on workers at the New Hampshire Union Leader newspaper to provide them with news and advertising.

In recent years, The Manchester Newspaper Guild, the largest union at the newspaper, has experienced layoffs, forgone pay raises (2 percent), accepted a pay cut (12 percent), and agreed to concessions in areas of sick time, health care, severance pay and full-time employment. All to help our struggling company.

Now, however, the company wants more. It so far has laid off five valuable, experienced employees and cut wages for all others after the union unanimously rejected a second, 10-percent pay cut, other concessions and changes that could make the entire workforce part-time, with few benefits and little job security.

Guild employees put out the newspaper every day. They struggle each and every day to protect the quality of New Hampshire's largest circulation daily newspaper and wonder if the Union Leader can maintain a workforce of talented, committed employees with continued reductions in salary and benefits. Guild members understand the poor economy and the struggles of the newspaper industry. They live with those issues, and write about them, every day. They are not solved by damaging the livelihood of workers and the quality of the company's products.

We urge you to sign our petition asking President and Publisher Joseph W. McQuaid to reaffirm his commitment to New Hampshire journalism. Ask him to maintain compensation that attracts and keeps committed journalists and other professionals working at New Hampshire's largest newspapers, providing the public with the most complete, trusted news and advertising in the Granite State.