After a long bargaining process that included protests and nearly a strike, the Toledo Blade has ratified a new contract with its newsroom employees and other members of the Toledo Newspaper Guild.

The contract calls for a 3 percent wage cut for each of the next three years, reduction of vacation time and sick time, and the outsourcing of 20 jobs in classified sales and ad services.

Though the contract was approved by a 2-to-1 margin, it does not “reflect the membership’s considerable anger and frustration about the agreement,” the Guild said. “Ultimately, most members took the bargaining committee’s advice that this was as good a deal as they were going to see.”

The guild did protect two jobs, prevent the company from reducing severance pay, and make a few other gains.

And the initial proposal called for a 15 percent wage cut and up to 200 layoffs.