According to a CBS 5/KCBS/AP report, "Union leaders at the San Francisco Chronicle said they were drafting a compromise to a management proposal that offers severe job cuts that officials indicated were imperative to keeping the newspaper open for business." This adds weight to the argument that the Hearst Corporation is strongarming the union via a threat of a shutdown. The cuts, the press release-ish news report, goes on to say that job cuts could "include more than 50 employees." If it takes a mere 50+ job cuts to save a paper, it seems like the choice is clear.

However, as Reflections of a Newsosaur reports:

Management did not reveal the precise number of jobs targeted for elimination, according to sources familiar with the discussions with the California Media Workers Guild and the local Teamsters chapter. In keeping the with the federal law that requires employers to alert workers to any plans to reduce the force by more than 50 employees, the unions were told only that “more than 50 positions” would be scrapped.

As reported here, it would require the elimination of nearly half of the 1,500 employees of the newspaper to wipe out the operating deficit.

Read more about SF Chron's plan for Web fees (oy), job cuts, givebacks and more at Reflections of a Newsosaur.