L.A. Times laying off 20 percent of newsroom staff

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Times said it planned to lay off at least 115 employees — more than 20 percent of the newsroom — starting Tuesday, one of the largest staff cuts in the newspaper’s 143-year history.

The announcement came after the LA Times Guild walked off the job last Friday to protest the imminent layoffs, the institution’s first ever newsroom union work stoppage.

Matt Pearce, president of the Media Guild of the West, which encompasses the Times’ union, called Tuesday a “dark day.” He said at least 94 union members would be let go.

“Many departments and clusters across the newsroom will be heavily hit,” Pearce said in a statement. “This total, while devastating, is nonetheless far lower than the number of layoffs the Bargaining Committee was expecting last week.”

He said some of those selected for layoffs by management may be eligible for buyouts under the union contract.

Senior editors, photographers and members of the video unit were also part of the purge, the Times said.

The cuts were necessary because the Times could no longer lose up to $40 million a year without boosting advertising and subscription revenue, the paper’s owner, Dr. Patrick Soon-shiong, said Tuesday.

“Today’s decision is painful for all, but it is imperative that we act urgently and take steps to build a sustainable and thriving paper for the next generation. We are committed to doing so,” he said.

Layoffs and buyouts last year hit a wide swath of the news industry.

An estimated 2,681 news industry jobs were lost through the end of November, according to the employment firm of Challenger, Gray and Christmas.