The union representing editorial staff at The Wall Street Journal announced a walkout Thursday after talk of firings spread.

The Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees told members that while it can’t reveal details, it confirmed that layoffs are coming.

“You may have heard the rumors of another round of layoffs, this time in U.S. News. While we cannot confirm a definitive number of IAPE-represented cuts until the end of the day, we can confirm the rumors are becoming fact today,” the IAPE told WSJ staff. “We need to act because of the heartless way our colleagues around the company have been treated during months of drawn-out layoffs.”

The walkout reportedly began at 1 p.m.

Scuttlebutt of possible layoffs at the newspaper began circulating early Thursday, with New York City-based journalists posting about firings at the WSJ’s main newsroom.

The rumored layoffs come after several bouts of restructuring and cuts at the WSJ this year. The paper’s District of Columbia bureau received cuts to its economics department, and several writers were let go from the paper’s Asia division this month.

• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.