Five Montana newspapers’ staffers were given orders to take unpaid furloughs

Butte, Montana – Most of the employees at the firm that owns Montana’s top five newspapers are being forced to take unpaid furloughs.

Employees at all of Lee Enterprises’ newspapers across the country were informed in mid-February that they would need to take a total of two weeks of unpaid leave between now and the end of September.

In 26 states, the firm owns 77 daily newspapers.

Employees at Lee papers in Butte, Billings, Hamilton, Helena, and Missoula will be given furloughs.

Due to financial difficulties, Lee had to lay off about 10% of its workforce in 2022.