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As promised, Rupert Murdoch's new minions at the Wall Street Journal picketed today, and by noon, they had attracted quite a crowd: as near as we could tell, a Daily News reporter, a reporter from South Korea—and our Intern Sheila.

Does anybody care that the 2,000 members of the union are being bought and sold like writer-widgets in some giant chess game that only those at the highest levels of News Corp. could possibly understand?

After working without a contract since the end of January, and being in negotiations since November, they're being offered a 3% raise (if by "raise" you mean "really a basic cost-of-living adjustment to keep up with inflation").

Add to that the doubling of the healthcare premiums, and they're losing money—"and you shouldn't think of this as just the prima donna reporters," said one reporter in the picket line. "It's the tech guys and the guys in the mailroom too, who aren't going to get the chance to maybe win a Pulitzer and get a raise."

About two dozen reporters walked in a circle, chanting, "While you're out on your yacht, give our contract a little thought!" and holding up signs saying "Bancroft Lawyers: 30 mil. Staff: Pay Cut." They also rhymed "cuts" with "sucks."

Speaking of which:

"Have you ever met Rupert Murdoch?" asked the South Korean reporter, after introducing himself with a bow.

"He's called some reporters who were leaving to ask them to stay," staff reporter (and head of the union's bargaining committee) E.S. Browning offered. "His office is all set, and he's using it. I hear he plans to come here often. People are a little surprised he'd show up before he closed the deal."

And of course, there have been exits, another reporter noted: Peter Waldman and Scot Paltrow to Portfolio, Tara Parker-Pope to the New York Times, the D.C. bureau's Robert Block to the Orlando Sentinel, and "two others to hedge funds." Nice work if you can get it!

But would they do something totally crazy and unprecedented, like strike? "People are starting to talk [of a work stoppage]," Browning said. "People haven't just quietly gone away because we were taken over by Murdoch."

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We hear that Rupert Murdoch made a late appearance at the Wall Street Journal offices on Tuesday afternoon, where he mingled with the top brass that he'll force out the door once he finishes killing off members of the editorial independence committee and gets a more pliable board. Other rumors: They're already working on an office for Rupert at WSJ headquarters. Also, Times of London editor Robert Thomson will stay in that position for at least another year and a half, which gives Managing Editor Marcus Brauchli plenty of time to line up a new gig.

From the mailbag: "I've been writing for the Voice off and on for five years, and I can say that [editor] Tony [Ortega] is the first editor-in-chief who personally responds to pitches. I think his rejection of what sounds like a totally unoriginal idea for a column (don't we have enough dating/relationship/sex columns for crissake?) is measured and honest. He responds to my pitches the same way, and I appreciate it. At least he takes the time to write back!"