According to a bulletin from the Newspaper Guild, management at the Mercury News has agreed to spare 27 union jobs from layoffs if the Guild accepts all of company’s contract concessions by Nov. 30. The Guild says those concessions would include higher health insurance premiums for workers, elimination of the pension plan for new hires, loss of accrued vacation, a six-month pay freeze (beginning July 1, 2006), and elimination of most contract language that now reserves certain jobs for union members. Of the 101 jobs the Merc announced it will eliminate by Dec. 19, 69 are union positions. The offer would reduce the union positions to be eliminated to 42. According to the Guild, management said it could make no assurances that the 27 jobs that would be saved — or any others — would be protected from future layoffs.