The following letter was sent Feb. 8, 2007,
to David Copley and David Greenfield,
from Daniel F. Sciury,
President of the Hall of Fame Central Labor Council,
AFL-CIO, 618 High Ave. N.W., Canton, OH.

Dear Mr. Copley (and Mr. Greenfield):

The quality of life in a community can be measured by the quality of the
newspaper that covers it. Your decision to sell Copley Ohio Newspapers,
including the Repository in Canton and Independent in Massillon, has put
that quality at risk. The sales of these newspapers will not affect just
your company; the people who work at your newspapers and the people,
organizations and businesses in the communities your newspapers serve also
will be affected. I hope that employees and the community play as large a
role in your sales decision as dollars and cents.

Your company has served the community well the past several years, but you
have benefited too from hard working, dedicated employees; millions of
dollars in advertising revenue from area businesses and individuals; and
loyal readership that has kept your circulation up while that of newspapers
throughout Ohio and the nation has nosedived. I call on you to remember that
when you make the important decision of who you will let buy your
newspapers. I hope that in the process that you will take care of those who
have made your investment here so successful.

We in the Stark County Labor community will be watching. We also will be
supporting our union brothers and sisters who work at the Repository and the
Independent. Members of the Northeast Ohio Newspaper Guild-CWA have started
a community campaign which we fully support. They want to protect the jobs
of employees at your newspapers, which will help maintain the quality
journalism, local news coverage, and service to readers and advertisers that
has been so important to our community.

We depend on our newspapers for most of our information, from actions of
government, to sports scores, to school news and community events. Selling
your newspapers to an owner only interested in short term cuts to make a
quick profit will not only ruin the newspapers you have worked hard to
improve, but will harm the communities that have supported you. In selling
your newspapers, we urge you to do what is best for you employees and your
newspapers and the communities they serve.

Yours sincerely,
Dan Sciury, President
Hall of Fame Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO