The Providence Journal Company
75 Fountain Street, Providence, RI 02902

THOMAS J. McDONOUGH
HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR

401 -277-7205
401-277-7217 FAX
thomas_mcdonough@projo.com

BY FAX AND MAIL

June 25, 2003

Providence Newspaper Guild
270 Westminster Street
Providence, RI 02903

Dear Mr. Schick:

This is in response to your request to meet to re-negotiate the Company Offer for a new contract dated June 2, 2003. We understand, through the Federal Mediator, that the Guild wishes to re- negotiate three major items: retroactivity, the 1.5% "floors" presented in Article 18, Wages, paragraphs 4 and 5 of our Offer, and the Release and Settlement Agreement proposed at pages 22 and 23 of our Offer.

As you know, our entire Offer for a new contract dated June 2, 2003, was final, including but not limited to the three major items discussed above. We met for many months and reached impasse on our June 2, 2003 Offer before it was presented for a ratification vote. We do not intend to meet to simply resume discussions of our Final Offer.

If and when the Guild is willing to meet to execute an agreement implementing our Final Offer through Motions to the NLRB as described in our Final Offer, we will do so immediately.


Sincerely,

Thomas J. McDonough