New York Times: We're not bluffing about shutting The Boston Globe

The New York Times Co. (NYT) and the Newspaper Guild have been at loggerheads for weeks over the publisher's demand that the union agree to steep pay cuts or face the closure of New England's largest newspaper. Now the rhetoric is starting to heat up ahead of a June 8 union vote.

"The Boston Globe can not be a viable business given our current losses," publisher Steve Ainsley told his staff yesterday, according to Bloomberg News.

His point was echoed by Times spokeswoman Catherine Mathis who said New York-based company needs to achieve $20 million in savings from the unions in Boston. The Globe is expected to lose $85 million this year.