The union representing staffers at The Pioneer Press in St. Paul, Minn. is backed into a tough corner: their owner, Media News Group, has been pushing for pay cuts for several months now, and finally demanded that the union take their offer, or face the immediate firing of 25 to 26 employees.

Luckily, the Pioneer Press Newspaper Guild (which represents employees in the editorial, advertising, and distribution departments) has come up with a counter-agreement that involves a slicing of the workweek to compensate for the pay cut. In a memo circulated yesterday, the union stated, “Adding it up, we will be taking home 9 to 10 percent less this year than called for in the contract. But it’s also true that we will be working 8 percent fewer hours.”

Though the deal will not be ushered into practice until ratified by union members, union leaders claim it “is the best — or the least bad — option” from their list of alternatives.

Official memo from the union, via MinnPost, after the jump.

Read More: Tentative deal: Pioneer Press workers trade pay cuts for layoff ban –MinnPost

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Deborah Howell, who was one of the first women in America to head up a major news organization with her work at the St. Paul Pioneer Press in Minnesota, died Friday evening in a car crash in New Zealand where she was vacationing. She was 68.

Though this unfortunate accident happened while we were on vacation, we’d like to point you in the direction of the myriad of writers who shared their personal memories of Howell — who also worked as a reporter and editor at The Minnesota Star and most recently served as ombudsman for The Washington Post — this weekend, from former Star editor Tim McGuire‘s remembrance to Jeff Jarvis‘ memorial blog titled “The Death of Curious Mind” on BuzzMachine.com and The New York Times‘ David Carr‘s memories of Howell as “the editor everyone should have had.”

Through these memorials — and many others made by colleagues and friends over the past few days — Deborah Howell will be remembered as both a pioneer for women in the field, as well as a great coworker, boss, journalist, editor and friend.

Read More: The death of a curious mind –BuzzMachine

Deborah Howell, prominent editor, killed in car accident –Star Tribune

My tortured journey to becoming Deborah Howell’s friend –Tim McGuire

The Editor Everyone Should Have Had –New York Times