Gannett Forces Workers to Take Unpaid Leave

America's largest newspaper publisher will require most of its 31,000 employees to take an unpaid week off this quarter, the New York Times reports. Gannett owns 85 newspapers in the US—including USA Today—that, like much of the industry, are under serious financial duress. The company says the move could prevent future layoffs. Union workers can't legally be made to take off, but they are being asked to comply.

“Most of our U.S. employees—including myself and all other top executives—will be furloughed for the equivalent of one week in the first quarter,” wrote Gannett chief Craig A. Dubow. (More Gannett stories.)