Members of The Minnesota Newspaper Guild Typographical Union, which represents many workers at the Minneapolis Star Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press, will by joined by other union members and supporters at a rally noon Monday, Dec. 11, outside the Pioneer Press, 345 Cedar St. in downtown St. Paul.

Demonstrations also are planned in other cities, including San Jose, Pittsburgh and Nashville, to call attention to layoffs and other cuts that have decimated newspaper staffs and threaten democracy, organizers said.

More than 44,000 news industry employees have lost their jobs in the past five years -- 34,000 at newspapers, according to www.savejournalism.org, a website set up by The Newspaper Guild / Communications Workers of America.

"These cuts represent not just a few jobs spread across our industry, but a substantial reduction in the number of journalists working at newspapers, television, radio and other media companies," according to the website.

The cuts, which are driven by the desire for higher profits, threaten the role of journalism in a democracy, union members said.

"With smaller staffs, editors are being forced to decide which stories not to report, cover or investigate," the website states. "This means less coverage of your public school system, not enough reporters to investigate the quality of healthcare where you live, or less coverage of important public hearings by your town council."

Locally, the Pioneer Press recently announced it was eliminating the equivalent of 40 full-time positions through buyouts and layoffs.