Leaders of the largest employee union at The
Inquirer on Monday declared they would stay neutral in the fight for control of
the newspaper's parent company, despite fresh lobbying from co-owner George E.
Norcross III.
After meeting with him for nearly two hours, the
executive board of the Newspaper Guild rebuffed Norcross' request that it back
his effort to persuade co-owners Lewis Katz and H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest
to sell their 42 percent stake in Interstate General Media.
"In this case, neutrality is a sign of
leadership," union president Howard Gensler and executive director Bill
Ross said in a statement. "The Guild tried to broker peace between the
warring parties, at their request, but was rebuffed. Now the situation seems
headed to court as more money gets wasted on lawyers. It needs to end."
The meeting was the latest development in the
nearly monthlong battle for control among the six partners who bought the
newspaper and formed IGM last year.
Participants at the Guild meeting, who asked not
to be identified discussing the private talks, said Norcross argued that he was
the most involved in running the company and had a better business plan than
Katz and Lenfest.
Norcross also told the leaders he would take his
case to rank-and-file members of the union, which represents the newsrooms of
The Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News, and Philly.com, as well as to
advertising, finance, and circulation employees, the attendees said. He hoped
their public backing would pressure the minority partners to give up, they
said.
Katz and Lenfest praised the Guild leaders for
resisting the pitch.
"These latest, inappropriate lobbying and
bullying efforts by Mr. Norcross are just one more example of his repeated
attempts to interfere and not let journalists be journalists," they said
in a statement.
Katz and Lenfest, too, have met with Guild
leadership - on Oct. 16, the same day Norcross first presented his case to the
union.
"Mr. Norcross met with the Guild leadership
today to discuss a plan for continuing the progress the company has made - from
losing almost $50,000 a day to being on the path to profitability,"
spokesman Dan Fee said, "and asked them to help him put an end to the
litigation."
Katz and Norcross are co-managing partners of the
company, with equal authority over business decisions. In dueling lawsuits, the
two have accused each other of violating their partnership agreement by
meddling in newsroom operations.
Earlier on Monday, Philadelphia Common Pleas Court
Judge Patricia A. McInerney met for a half hour behind closed doors with
lawyers preparing to argue the case that Katz and Lenfest brought against Norcross,
Inquirer publisher Robert J. Hall, and the majority partners of IGM.
After 30 minutes of talks, McInerney announced
plans for back-to-back hearings on Nov. 13 on the lawsuit, which seeks to
reinstate fired Inquirer editor William K. Marimow.
The first hearing will address a procedural
challenge to the request for a preliminary injunction to reinstate Marimow. The
second will deal with the injunction request itself, if she rules the case
should proceed.
Both sides must file their witness lists by Wednesday,
McInerney said.
Source: Philly.com
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