The Boston Globe's largest union, the Boston Newspaper Guild, has set a date to vote on ratification of a contract, despite the fact that it has not yet reached an agreement with the paper's owner, the New York Times Co.

The Globe reported today that the guild is set to vote on July 20, in order to "mitigate the impact" of the Times Co.'s 23 percent pay cut imposed on guild employees this week.

"Under Guild bylaws, there must be at least a 30-day wait for a vote on a contract agreement," the Globe reported. "That means the nearly 700 members would have to absorb the 23 percent pay cut for at least a month."

The guild is seemingly hoping to have something to vote on next month and preemptively setting the meeting 30 days in advance just in case.

Earlier, the union rejected $10 million in budget cuts proposed by the Times Co. by a narrow margin of 277 to 265. As a result, the Globe's owner imposed the pay cuts, effective this week. Then, news spread that the Times Co. is looking for buyers for the beleaguered paper, which the union supported. Some buyers have already come forward, which seems promising for the paper's future and its employees.

The guild also filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board in an effort to avoid the pay cuts, but that complaint has been put on hold, the Globe reported today.

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