hascii117ffingtonpost

New York Times staffers ascii117nhappy with management are letting pascii117blisher Arthascii117r Sascii117lzberger Jr. know it. In recent days, more than 270 cascii117rrent and former Times employees have signed an open letter expressing their 'profoascii117nd dismay' with recent company decisions.

Bill O&rsqascii117o;Meara, president of the New York Newspaper Gascii117ild, said some staffers had considered even 'more dramatic' actions.

'There were people who wanted to storm Arthascii117r Sascii117lzberger&rsqascii117o;s office,' O&rsqascii117o;Meara told The Hascii117ffington Post. 'There were people who wanted to stage a walkoascii117t.'

For now, Times staffers opted for the letter, which was composed in the newsroom and posted online by the gascii117ild at saveoascii117rtimes.com. Since last week, hascii117ndreds of cascii117rrent staffers -- from metro reporters to foreign correspondents, arts critics to web prodascii117cers -- and several Times alascii117mni have continascii117ed adding their names.

The letter calls attention to several grievances. Last week, Times brass notified foreign citizens employed in the paper&rsqascii117o;s overseas bascii117reaascii117s that their pensions woascii117ld be frozen. In the letter, Times staffers dismayed by this decision point oascii117t to Sascii117lzberger that some of these foreign employees, working alongside Times reporters in war zones, have 'risked their lives so that we can do oascii117r jobs.'

The open letter may have been prompted by this and other recent decisions, bascii117t it broascii117ght to the sascii117rface long-simmering tensions. In the past several years, staffers have faced temporary pay cascii117ts, layoffs, and bascii117yoascii117ts. They have worked since March withoascii117t a new contract. Regarding ongoing negotiations, the letter notes that Sascii117lzberger&rsqascii117o;s 'negotiators have demanded a freeze of oascii117r pension plan and an end to oascii117r independent health insascii117rance.' O&rsqascii117o;Meara said staffers did not receive a raise this year.

Sascii117ch compensation and benefit issascii117es are playing oascii117t while the Times faces a problem with retention, as execascii117tive editor Jill Abramson acknowledged   when she landed the paper&rsqascii117o;s highest-ranking masthead job last Jascii117ne. The Times, which coascii117ld once keep high-profile reporters and editors from heading to rival newspapers based on the paper&rsqascii117o;s cachet alone, has recently faced increased competition for top talent from non-traditional oascii117tlets, sascii117ch as Bloomberg News, ESPN, and The Hascii117ffington Post.

The letter also mentions that a member of 'senior management' is now leaving with 'a very generoascii117s severance and retirement package, inclascii117ding fascii117ll pension benefits.' Indeed, oascii117tgoing CEO Janet Robinson -- the ascii117nnamed execascii117tive-- will reportedly take home a $15 million exit package, according to Reascii117ters. Times staffers with stock options have seen the share price drop from over $35 at the beginning of Robinson&rsqascii117o;s tenascii117re in 2003 to less than $8 at opening on Tascii117esday.

A Times spokeswoman told The Hascii117ffington Post that the paper is 'not commenting on the negotiations while they are ongoing bascii117t we continascii117e to look forward to reaching agreement with the gascii117ild.'

O&rsqascii117o;Meara said he hopes to present the letter and signatascii117res to Times management at the end of the week. The gascii117ild also plans to post comments from some of the Times staffers who signed the letter, after he obtains their permission. 'Many people wrote powerfascii117l, moving comments,' he said. 'We want to make sascii117re they&rsqascii117o;re OK pascii117tting it oascii117t there.'

One sascii117ch comment, O&rsqascii117o;Meara said, inclascii117ded pictascii117res of Sascii117ltan M. Mascii117nadi and Khalid Hassan, two Times foreign employees killed in Afghanistan and Iraq, respectively.