Unions representing most of the workers at the Denver Newspaper Agency and The Denver Post reached tentative agreements Wednesday on wage and benefit cuts.

The cuts at the agency average 11.7 percent, including benefits, the Communications Workers of America said. The Post concessions feature a wage reduction of 7.4 percent plus additional cuts in benefits.

The agency, a joint venture that handles the business operations of the Rocky Mountain News and The Denver Post, approached its unions in December, seeking $18 million of concessions. At the same time, Post employees were asked for $2 million of concessions.

The Denver Newspaper Guild said The Post agreement nearly reaches the $2 million goal.

The $18 million concession goal for the agency unions wasn't met, said a person familiar with the matter.

Jim Nolan, spokesman for the agency, said it "is pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with three of its unions." He declined to address the agency's financial matters.

The agency concessions were made with the awareness that it was struggling financially, but union members were protected as much as possible, said Tony Mulligan, administrative officer at the Denver Newspaper Guild. Mulligan could not rule out agency layoffs.

"I don't know if there will be staffing reductions or not," he said.

The agency has about 1,080 union employees, including about 900 subject to Wednesday's deal. Other unions remain in talks.

Executives at E.W. Scripps, the owner of the Rocky, said in a December letter to Denver Post executives that the agency's banks had cut off lending to the agency. The agency has made no cash distributions to the partners since June.

Scripps said Dec. 4 that it would try to sell the Rocky. CEO Rich Boehne said last week that he expected an announcement on the paper's fate by the end of the first quarter, March 31.

Scripps had no role in the request for union concessions, spokesman Tim King said Wednesday. Rocky employees aren't being asked for pay concessions, and they are not part of a companywide salary reduction Scripps announced last week.

Mulligan said a vote on the agency deal could happen as early as March 8, but the CWA unions will wait until the Rocky's fate is learned. The Post unit said its members will vote on their deal within 10 days.

Wednesday's tentative agreement with agency union employees includes salary reductions averaging 7 percent, 10 unpaid days off for most workers, the suspension of the 401(k) match, cuts in sick days and mileage reimbursements and increases in health and dental premiums. The Post concessions are slightly different.

Agency and Post management will be taking wage and benefit concessions equal to that of employees, the union said. Certain concessions will be reversed in the case of "verifiable profits" - something that will be checked twice a year.

Finance Editor David Milstead can be reached at milstead@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2648.