Newhouse embracing furloughs?

Joe Strupp at Editor & Publisher got hold of some emails purporting to outline a plan to freeze pensions and implement a 10-day, unpaid furlough for staffers at the Star-Ledger in New Jersey. Strupp writes:

Several Star-Ledger staffers who have seen the printout, which was left in a meeting room one week ago, say it has sparked new concerns about the newsroom.

But at least some wonder if it is all a ploy to heighten fears about serious cutbacks before announcing lesser changes, such as only one week of furloughs for each staffer.

There's also concern that any pension freeze or furlough plan will spill over into other papers owned by the Newhouse chain, including the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the New Orleans Times-Picayune and the Portland Oregonian.