Sunday, November 02, 2008
Sunday | Nov. 2 | Got news, or a question?
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37 comments:
Jim says: "Proceed with caution; this is a free-for-all comment zone. I try to correct or clarify incorrect information. But I can't catch everything. Please keep your posts focused on Gannett and media-related subjects. Note that I occasionally review comments in advance, to reject inappropriate ones. And I ignore hostile posters, and recommend you do, too."
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Don't forget to turn your clocks back an hour today; daylight saving time ends on the first Sunday in November.
ReplyDeleteIf you're laid off, does your insurance end immediately?
ReplyDeleteI've been wondering that too. I am really concerned about what is going to happen with my husband because all of our health benefits are with Gannett. I didn't take them with my job (I'm an ex-Gannettoid) when enrollment happened recently, gambling that he won't be. But will we be stuck with COBRA if he gets torched in this go-round? Does anyone (except HR, which never answers any damn questions) know?
ReplyDelete9:56 - If your husband does lose his job, you might be able to take insurance at your place of employment. Often, employers will allow changes outside of open enrollment when there are changes in your spouse's employment status.
ReplyDeleteI was one of the 1000 let go in August. If you get severance pkg the insurance will last until the end of the severance package. Also if the severance runs out in the middle or beginning of the month, the insurance will run until the last day of that month. Also note that they will not release your retirement until the severance pkg is over and even then they will give you a run around. I had to call every two weeks for 8 weeks to get mine released! Their excuse is that they are a little backed up right now...gee wonder how backed up it will be after 3000 more layoffs??? Geesh!
ReplyDeleteUsually if you are laid off or leave a job, the benefits that you have extend to the end of the month that you are in. So, for example, if your last day is Nov. 10, you are covered through the end of the month without having to go on COBRA yet. COBRA also gives you 60 days to decide, so you can shop around for other insurance if you need to. If you do have several weeks left in a month for your insurance, try to get as much taken care of as possible during that time, i.e. yearly physical, dental crowns, etc.
ReplyDeleteUsually if you are laid off or leave a job, the benefits that you have extend to the end of the month that you are in. So, for example, if your last day is Nov. 10, you are covered through the end of the month without having to go on COBRA yet. COBRA also gives you 60 days to decide, so you can shop around for other insurance if you need to. If you do have several weeks left in a month for your insurance, try to get as much taken care of as possible during that time, i.e. yearly physical, dental crowns, etc.
ReplyDeleteDo a google search on COBRA and health insurance, and you will find there are federal rules that require GCI to offer to continue your health plan for a certain period. This is normally included in the severance package, and GCI picks up their side of the costs. But if you pay both sides, you can continue it as well. It's complicated, so read up on it ahead of what might happen.
ReplyDeleteWhen is this "INSANITY" going to end,so people can get back to having some form of a normal life... ENOUGH ALREADY
ReplyDeleteI know I will get bashed for "whining,'' but I really have to say that the fact that these layoffs will affect so many; that they are highly unlikely to be the last layoffs even within a reasonable amount of time (say a year or maybe even 6 mos.); that the economy around us is historically dreadful; that our industry is in, if not its death bed, at least the ICU; and that we all have had a month to worry -- we're going to see some major stress-related illnesses at all of our properties and within our families.
ReplyDeleteAnd it won't end either way because all that work still has to get done and it will be there waiting for us after the holidays. We have very few slackers left. We have taken hits we didn't think we could survive and somehow it still gets done but with errors showing up even on pages done by people who are usually so accurate.
I am so sorry for every newspaper journalist still in this thing. Really. I don't want to see more papers close - not even competing papers. I don't want to see anyone lose their job in this economy. I don't want to read a blog to see if I'm still employed. I am so sick of this whole mess.
Peace and blessings to you all in the New Year, I hope it leads you to a path up and out.
You might want to be careful when choosing your plan for re-enrollment this year as you may be without a job a month after you enroll.
ReplyDeleteWhen I got laid off in August, I checked with Cobra to see how much my cost would be (single on EPO not family) and they said over $620 a month. They told me that if I would of choose one of the other plans it would of been a cheaper cobra price of around 300-400 bucks. Still expensive but much better than $620!
I have read rumors that the Life Style Section of the papers were to be done away with. I certainly hope the publishers/editors and powers that "be" reconsider this option. This is the one section that we can pick up, read about common people and their adventures and how they relate to our own family.It contains information that we can use every day. It would be a big MISTAKE to do away with this section if you value the female population who are readers of your paper. They are the ones who have the purchasing power, shop the adds and most likely make the decisions to buy the papers. I can't believe the females are not considered more. Please rethink this decision and put more stories in this sections which contain what we really want to read.
ReplyDeleteFour new jobs posted for Gannett's publishing division today.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: I noticed one of the posted sales jobs mixes in some CareeBuilder responsibilities. Now, does that person's salary, bonus and benefits come out of print or digital---or is there even an accounting difference? And, I thought CareerBuilder had a huge, separate staff.
TO: GANNETT, INC.
ReplyDeleteCANCEL THE FEATURES SECTION? Might as well close down the paper. We already know the other news before the paper comes out. Either on TV or on the internet. Did you ever think of taking the paper off of the internet? That has been your down fall. Why buy a .75 cent paper (?) when you can turn on the computer for free. You shot your self in the foot. If you kill the Life Style section, you lose your female readers. They actually earn money and spend it, also. Life style section helps them with ideas, adds and interesting articles. Might want to think this over before you make a final decision.
Have any of the stat crunchers out there determined what percent of Gannett stock is owned by employees (or ex-employees)?
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering what size of a voting block that would give employees when it's time for the next shareholder meeting?
What could we do? Block the executive compensation package for one to send a message.
Depending on the size of the employee shareholder voting block, field an employee shareholder candidate(s) for the board.
Float the idea of replacing people in the executive offices who's policies have failed. If regular workers are held to performamce standards, why not the top dogs.
I know some of this sounds like pie-in-the sky idealism, but it's at least worth considering getting another voice out there in corporate land.
To 8:40AM- You said there were not many slackers left...apparently you are not in a NJ group. There are plenty of slackers left. I am finding it hard to work around the constant complaining and whining. Our manager deals with it by...not dealing with it. She walks around looking bewildered and out of it most of the time. You only see her on the sales floor when our publisher is in the building.
ReplyDeletei love how all the lifestyles editors/reporters queue up to defend their turf.
ReplyDeleteour section has been 90% wire and 10% useless local for the past few years.
it'll probably escape cuts only because the paper values women readers more than men. i bet sports pages take the biggest hit.
"Also note that they will not release your retirement until the severance pkg is over and even then they will give you a run around."
ReplyDeleteThat wasn't the case for me. I was also let go in August and I have both my pension and 401(k) rolled over into an IRA.
BTW, I'm still looking for a job, after about 30 applications and a handful of interviews.
Hang in there, guys.
No, 1:58, it really sounds like you're defending your turf - sports.
ReplyDelete11:31 p.m. wrote: "Also note that they will not release your retirement until the severance pkg is over and even then they will give you a run around."
ReplyDeleteThat was not my experience either; I received my 401(k) rollover and my lump-sum retirement account payout a full seven months BEFORE my severance checks ended.
9:56 here. Thanks for the info. To answer one question, I work for a very small company -- less than 50 employees. I asked about that possibility -- our open enrollment was in early October -- because I was concerned about the possibility of another round of layoffs. Because they are so small, they don't allow it even if he gets laid off. And taking benefits there for myself alone is almost $300/month. It's cheaper to pay the surcharge to stay on his health benefits. I am just gonna have to see what happens and take it day by day.
ReplyDelete11:44, this is 9:56. Believe it or not, the COBRA price they cited you for a single is cheaper than what we would pay under my employer's plan for family coverage. I'd have to pay $222 per week for family coverage under my job. That will be a bitter pill to swallow if we have to go that route.
ReplyDelete1:35 It is impossible to find a percentage of GCI held by former employees, or present employees for that matter. I would think it is minimal in the great universe, since most of GCI stock is held by mutual fund companies. You can see who they are by going to msn.com, type in GCI and down at the bottom on the right-hand side you will find a listing of the major funds holding GCI. If you invest your 401K in one of these, you have an investment in GCI.
ReplyDeleteThese funds don't give a shit about how these companies deal with their employee issues. They are driven by one issue: the bottom line of the company's financial report. The layoffs will help that, so the funds will believe that is a good thing. Sorry, that's the way our system works these days.
For some reason, MSN shows institutions own 107.87% of Gannett's stock. Obviously, no one could own more than 100%. So, I'm now wondering about the accuracy of MSN's data.
ReplyDeleteA sad situation. You don't know what to about Christmas plans, or any plans for that matter. It would have been better to have been told the day the memo came out than to have worried about it all week end. There has to be a way to retain employment with a position you love and have worked at so hard.
ReplyDeleteOf course, we will now get lots of "My Lifestyle section is more important than your sports" and "My sports section is what sells the paper not your Lifestyle." What a shame. That is just what Gannett stuffed shirts want us to do, quarrel over who is "least" value, when in fact, both sections are vital to a healthy media. It is pathetic that the newspapers will rase prices, then lay off staff and cut newshole... as if readers are fools. They are not.
ReplyDelete7:50 - That is already happening at my paper. People are blaming the person who had to put together examples of a new plan. And this defending your turf and not working for the greater good is exactly what helped get our paper into the mess it is now. There is constant fighting between departments, jealously over space in sections and story play. And, instead of offering ideas on what to do, newsroom department heads bickered and whined and flat out said they don't want to change anything. They should all be the ones walking out the door. Keep the people who are trying to find solutions.
ReplyDeleteI've already seen the Lifestyle sections gone at other papers (non-Gannett papers). Myrtle Beach, for example. That place is perfect for a Lifestyle section. But when I was passing through there on a Monday-Tuesday a few months ago, no Lifestyle section period. Community news pages, very gray, not even a mug, though.
ReplyDeleteGCI is not perfect. But they offered very good benefits and most people who have been at the company for a very long time have had a lot of opportunities.
ReplyDeleteThe industry is tough now but I believe Gannett is trying to find solutions. It is incredibly sad that people will lose their jobs. But it is also happening at all media companies right now.
msn in the best we have in way of information, unless you can tell me of some other for-free site. These funds do sell and buy stocks through the year as they get money or make payouts, so maybe that explains the disparity. But I think it makes my point that the bulk of GCI stock is held by institutions (money market funds) and it does precious little good to hope that leaning on stockholders to make changes will do any good. These institutions do not respond well to pressure.
ReplyDeletep.s. I think these institutions are the source of the problem, not the solution. It is Wall Street telling corporate to make their quarterly financials look good that is causing us the headaches and heartaches.
ReplyDelete9:11 pm: You are correct; I should have noted that same point. Big institutional investors like mutual funds control Gannett, and have no emotional attachment to its employees, communities, or its traditional First Amendment mission.
ReplyDelete8:16 Myrtle Beach, from what I recall, only had a features section three times a week before all the cuts started. Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. I know their Features Editor got axed this summer, so maybe they cut further.
ReplyDeleteActually Jim, I think it's more likely that institutions have SHORTED 107% of the company's stock.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely right on, Jim. Live by the sword, die by the sword. GCI built itself on its reputation to turn profits no matter what, so it is really no surprise to see the cutbacks and layoffs at this stage. We need a new model for financing newspapers, but we are not going to see one anytime soon. I think this recession will see a number of newspaper properties taken back private. There has already been speculation that is in the works for McClatchy. Unfortunately, there is not that opportunity for Gannett. It might be thinkable for the foundation to take over the papers, but it has its own financial problems that soon will become clear when it publishes its 1099 next year. There are already big layoffs at the Newseum, according to the staff here.
ReplyDelete3:18 PM wrote: "No, 1:58, it really sounds like you're defending your turf - sports."
ReplyDeletebzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt! no, but thanks for playing.
i'm just tired of hearing how female readers are so much more important than men. blah blah blah. if the shoe were on the other foot, it'd be called sexism - and rightly so.
Well, it is known that women are typically the ones who buy groceries, clothing, etc., so I would think that in a business that makes money off of advertising, female readers should be given some serious consideration.
ReplyDelete