Tribune Publishing to lay off nearly 200 workers as printing operations prepare for move to Schaumburg

Tribune Publishing will lay off nearly 200 workers beginning April 22 as the newspaper gears up to move printing operations from the Freedom Center to Schaumburg.

Employees were made aware of the layoffs last week, according to data disclosed under the Illinois Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. “Plant closure” was listed as the reason for the layoffs.

Paddock Publications, the publisher of the Daily Herald, agreed in May to sell its 20-year-old Paddock Printing Center in Schaumburg to an affiliate of Tribune Publishing.

Twenty Lake Holdings, which will be the new owner of the 160,000-square-foot facility on 21 acres along the Elgin-O’Hare Expressway, is a subsidiary of Alden Global Capital along with Tribune Publishing.

Paddock signed a long-term contract for Tribune Publishing to print and distribute the Daily Herald. Tribune Publishing also prints and distributes the Chicago Sun-Times.

Existing Daily Herald production staff members will be offered positions with Tribune Publishing as it takes over management of the facility.

The Tribune’s current printing plant along the Chicago River — the Freedom Center — was sold to make way for a Bally’s casino and entertainment district. Under the agreement with Bally’s, Tribune Publishing will get a series of payments and will leave the property by July 2024.

The center will be demolished and the casino is expected to open in 2026.