Past experience shows Fairfax's cuts are unlikely to achieve its desired outcomes, Ms Connor said.
"Overseas we've seen this sort of thing before, and it's never led to an increase in audience or an increase in revenue," Ms Connor said.
The Age journalist Ben Schneiders said staff were worried about the Fairfax board's lack of employee consultation.
The striking journalists acknowledge they could face fines for taking unprotected action, but the risks were worth it, Mr Schneiders said.
"We understand the risk that we took in walking out, but there's frustration at the decision to outsource jobs," Mr Schneiders said.
About 20 staff joined Marcus Strom, chair of the union house committee, outside Fairfax's Sydney office.
Mr Strom says the company's plan will "rip the heart out" of regional newsrooms as sub-editors' crucial local expertise is lost.
Staff at The Canberra Times are set to follow their interstate colleagues, with more than 50 staff voting unanimously at a 1pm (AEST) meeting on Thursday to stop work until 6am on Friday.
Federal politicians are weighing in, with Nationals deputy leader in the Senate Fiona Nash saying regional areas need locally based journalists.
"I cannot see how people in regional Australia can possibly get the accurate and up-to-date news they need if editorial staff are working thousands of kilometres away," she said in a statement.
Federal opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull says he has sympathy for Fairfax's chief executive Greg Hywood and other newspaper bosses trying to adapt to the digital age.
"It's like having a patient who knows he will die if he doesn't have the surgery, but the question is can he survive the surgery?" he told ABC TV.
Fairfax Media management has expressed disappointment at the journalists' strike action - which is due to end on Friday morning - but says the changes will position the company better to take advantage of opportunities in digital media.
Senior staff and sub-editors at the affected newspapers will negotiate with Fairfax management over the next few days in a bid to find an alternative solution, the MEAA says.
- AAP
