The Press: A Dismal Situation

(2 of 2)

Hurdle Ahead. Not the least of the losers in the show of intransigence are the newspaper readers of the city. When all the other members of the Publishers Association shut down in sympathy with the Times, New York was left with only the afternoon Post and a spate of third-rate, strike-born tabloids, all inconsequential. Nor do the local radio and TV stations, which have hired some 40 striking Guildsmen, seem equal to taking up the slack.

To make matters worse, there is another hurdle ahead. At week's end the mailers, who have yet to sign a contract with the Publishers Association, were threatening to strike over job security for their temporary employees. The move strengthened the Guild in its determination not to give in. "I would be in a silly position," said Guildsman Murphy, "if I compromised my original demands and was still on strike."