Despite the fact we've had only one pay raise in the past decade, the employer has proposed no pay raises in the future. Even worse, they want to remove Aultcare as our health insurance provider, and replaced it with the employer's inferior self-funded health plan. The change would amount to a 9 percent annual pay cut for each of us, because it further shifts the premium burden to us. The move would save the employer more than $200,000 per year and cost us, as a group, an extra $100,000 per year.

Our staff has been systematically decimated. The employer has outsourced customer service jobs overseas. It has moved copy editing functions out of state. Now, it wants to snub Aultcare, a local company which employs 450 people in Stark County.

We are overworked, understaffed and underpaid. From the newsroom, to advertising, to production. The employer tells you that you should pay for and support local journalism and the local newspaper. However, it has done nothing but send your money out of this community. Tell them it's time to become a meaningful member of your community. Let them know they must invest money here if they expect you to support their product.