Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Wednesday | Nov. 12 | Got news, or a question?
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98 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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I'm still feeling my way forward on these videos I'm now making.
ReplyDeleteWhen are they going to eliminate the outdated USAT Field Operations department? This staff could have been eliminated years ago. The no longer serve a purpose. They should have kept some of the other PD's in the field that had real experience. Make this part of the Gannett production department and eliminate eight positions.
ReplyDeleteAnyone know anything about the rumbles of a Joint Operating Agreement between Fort Myers and Naples Daily News. Scripps and Gannett did it once before in Cincy, and they are building a gigantic new printing plant on Omokalee Road.
ReplyDeleteAll of the papers need to start over and make everyone involved reapply for their positions, only this time, choose people who are qualified to fill them based on actual experience.
ReplyDeleteI'm not on the Cincinnati staff any more, but I'm hearing that the Cinti biz editor, one asst. metro editor and one editor from weekly local-local insert are gone. More chops expected.
ReplyDelete12:44, have the Cinci people already been notified then?
ReplyDeleteMy manager told me how many sick days I have left today. He asked in a way that makes me think I am one of the ones that are gone and that maybe I should use a few of them. I am pretty sad to be honest. I have worked my whole life. I remember still today how I felt when I was first hired here. I also remember all of the great people that helped me out along the way that are now retired and gone. I never thought that my career at the paper would end in any way like this. The times are changing and I guess I will be changing as well. I really think that I am probably one of the people now. If so, good luck to all of you that will be left behind. I hope that the paper business turns around and gains the glory of the past. If I am wrong about me being one of the ones gone, I hope to be here helping you all along the way. Good bless you all either way.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the first Jersey question of the day... is it still state law that average citizens cannot pump their own gas?
ReplyDeleteThey can, but it's 15% vig, capiche?
ReplyDelete;-D
2:05 am: Every year at this time of year, our manager gets an updated roster from HR to tell us how much time we have left of vacation time, etc. Then we all scramble to schedule our days off so that we don't lose them. Sick pay is a different animal. Some have accumulated hundreds (yes, hundreds) of hours of sick time that will never be used or payed out. So I don't think you necessarily need to worry about being questioned on what days you have left to take off.
ReplyDeleteJersey girls do not pump gas. Neither do their guys. And it goes for $1.979 at the convenience stores, cash OR credit. The major chains get $2.029 cash and $2.069 credit.
ReplyDelete2:55 and everyone else.
ReplyDeleteAn HR director recently told me as she was walked out the door after the last round of lay offs to take ALL of my Sick Days.
My advice is to take whatever you have earned up until Dec. 4th and save one for emergencies.
I remember a few weeks ago a poster said "GANNETT is a Ticking Ovetime Class Action Lawsuit TIME-BOMB."
ReplyDeleteAnybody leaving (voluntarily or involuntarily)thinking of making an attempt a collected so UNPAID-OVERTIME. I know reporters that have "smoking Gun" e-mails that lead to false time-sheets for the purpose of avoiding paying overtime.
Does anyone know for sure? I had volunteered for severance with hopes to get unemployment so that I may go back to school to save myself. I do have major health issues but am trying to turn things around so I won't be at the mercy of this company. Been here for 20 years and scared I won't even get severance if I don't try to grab it now. The question is: Do you think those that have volunteered will be able to collect unemployment? Please help if you have any true info.
ReplyDeleteThank and God Bless!!!!!!!
Anybody out there in cyberspace have any layoff info as it relates to the Wisconsin group?
ReplyDelete8:17 your work ethic sucks. I hope when you fake all those sick days, you get canned. Sick days are for those who are sick.
ReplyDeletewhere are your morals, you fool
We have some Jersey girls in Wisconsin, but far more Holstein girls. Their gas is deadly.
ReplyDeleteMoooo.
If you volunteer to the involuntary layoffs it is considered a quit and you will not be eligible for unemployment benefits. HR says Gannett won't fight it. However, it means you have to trust Gannett to stand by their word. I just can't trust Gannett.
ReplyDelete9:04
ReplyDeleteI was at a Gannett paper for a long time and never took any sick days. Yes, I'm the idiot who you think has poor work ethics. Yes idiot that's right. Even though I never got sick and never took a sick day I should have taken all of them. Just because of their title does not mean they can not be used for stress days, relaxation days, or whatever. But, when I did decide I was going to jump off this sinking ship I calculated every sick day earned and took every one up to that last minute before I left.
Gannett gives you these for whatever reason to use in that year for free. If you don't use them you are a fool like I was. One year they gave me a little brass apple bell. That should have been my wake up call. They should have been handing out dunce caps.
“Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right.”
ReplyDeleteIn response to 8:51 - what state are you from? If New Jersey, you might have a chance. Just apply for it and if worse case happens they will send you a letter saying that you have a phone interview. On that date (that is stated in the letter), an examiner will call you to ask you questions. It's worth it! You can call your local unemployment office now and ask them before you make a decision and they should tell you.
ReplyDeleteMore than 30 jobs for US Publishing Division have been posted this month alone. Gives me the impression the company is beefing up instead of scaling back.
ReplyDeletere: sick days
ReplyDeleteI know of 2 employees called in a few years ago because they had used too many of their 5 sick days "too fast". It was May and they had used 3 and 4 days. They were not consecutive days (3 consecutive days requires a doctor's note, I believe). I know one of the employee's days were legit (although I'm sure some were stress related), the other one tended to take "hangover" days. Other employees were made to feel like sissies for migraines, bad backs and the flu.
I too think taking advantage of someone/the company is wrong--but who's doing the taking?
The only justice in all this is that the director who called these employees in was very surprised this summer to be laid off.
@9:5:9: 30 jobs posted and they might fill half of them. So 15 new jobs vs more than 1,000 lost. Yes, the company must be beefing up.
ReplyDeleteSurvey time:
ReplyDeleteMiddle managers only please (below OC/VP level)
Have you been consulted on the impending layoffs? Has your boss asked for your input on who you could afford to lose?
At my site, no middle managers have been consulted. How does an OC/VP know who to let go?
9:16 AM
ReplyDeleteI'm an idiot also! I still have 9+ weeks of banked sick time from years ago.
GCI fell through $9 into $8 area, and historic all-time lows. The misery compounds. Pssst: Dubow. Your business plan isn't working.
ReplyDeleteIt is all the fault of the New Jersey group. Consolidate or die.
ReplyDelete10:11 AM
ReplyDeleteThe 30 + job postings are for one division only for a 12 day time span.
Paulson's on TV right now talking about expanding the TARP (bailout) program. As soon as he's finished, Dubow should call him and ask to get us in on this Mother of All Gravy Trains.
ReplyDeleteThe newspaper industry has been around a lot longer than the banking, mortgage or insurance industries. And one could easily argue that the loss of the Fourth Estate will have a significant negative effect on the country.
Maybe The Great Re-distributor will green light it once he's in office? It would be fair payback to us for all the fawning our industry just did on him.
10:34 a.m. -- I'm a department head and I have not been consulted about layoffs.
ReplyDeleteAnd we sure as hell are as important as the automotive industry. Where is journalism's bail out?
ReplyDelete11:13 AM, thank you. What group are you in? South here. Dept head also. No input the last time, no input this time.
ReplyDeleteI know I'm going to lose good employees. Hell, it might be me.
As a former department head who was laid off long ago (but still read this blog, I guess it's voyeurism) I have such sympathy for all of you going through this angst. Looking back, I was lucky. Just called in one day and told I was history, pack your box and go on home like a good little boy. I was stunned, but looking at what you're all going through, that was decidedly the better way. Good luck to you all. This really sucks. Keep one thing in mind: life is better outside of Gannett, even if your paycheck is smaller. I am living proof.
ReplyDeleteI'm a fortunate ex Gannetter that got out 14 months ago for a better career. The only thing I can say is good luck and the world is better on the outside. As a PR director, I'll hire a newspaper person when I have a job open up. Nobody works harder than a journalist. Good luck to all.
ReplyDeleteInterstate group. Department head. No requests for information from my publisher or director.
ReplyDeleteI've always tried to write honest reviews, however, so if performance appraisals are consulted, I hope that my best performers survive.
11:16, Journalism's bailout is called Chapter 11.
ReplyDeleteDebtholders and share holders get clobbered, the company reorganizes and emerges.
I mean, you want to see Gannett's future, look at McClatchy today. Their stock is $1.50 today, so their shareholders are dead in the water anyway but they're trying to scrounge for cash in bizarre ways.. And Gannett's shareholders are, obviously, headed there (not Chapter 11 for now, but at least a $2-$5 range).
Jim, you ever thought of setting up some forums software? People would need to sign up and you'd need a couple of volunteer moderators, but it's free (save the bandwidth), it's easy to configure, and the flow of information around here would turn from a trickle to a torrent.
I thought Gannett didn't let SICK time carryover, if you didn't use in a year, you lose it. At least, that's the way it is at my paper. How many papers let sick time carry over for years?
ReplyDeleteIt is only good that year, No carry over. The unions might be different.
ReplyDeleteAnd still no definitive word from USA TODAY about layoffs... Last I heard, the budget is being reviewed and any news about cutbacks or buyouts would be coming fairly soon. Yet, all is quiet at the flagship, which isn't entirely a good thing. Managers need to plan for the coming year. People also need to plan things in their personal lives. If some of us aren't going to have jobs, or if certain departments are going to be cut which would alter some significant plans on the drawing table, it would be nice to know sooner rather than later.
ReplyDeleteFunny how we're always pestered about the need to plan ahead, yet we're handcuffed by the slow-moving powers that be at this slowly sinking ship. Maybe when the water really starts gushing in they'll be a greater sense of urgency to make decisions and share news in a more timely fashion.
Damn, it would just be nice to come to work for at least a few months in a row knowing there isn't going to be major staffing issues. You would think a paper as big as USA TODAY would provide some sense of stability. But things haven't been stable at USAT since the move from Arlington. It's one thing after another, and some of those things were created by very poor planning and less than nimble decision-makers.
C'mon USAT chiefs. Let us know before Thanksgiving about what's ahead, at least for the first quarter of 2009. Don't give us anymore of this vague crap. We need definitive assurances, and we need them soon. Are we going to suffer the same fate of the smaller papers, or have we truly found a way to avoid cutbacks for at least awhile? This isn't just a curiosity question. Our ability to do our jobs properly depends on getting clear, firm info from the top. That seems to be a major deficiency across the board in the last year or so at USAT, but I am hoping that with the help of this blog, maybe it will begin to change.
11:36, I experienced that as well and the shock that I felt - don't want to ever have to go through that again. Maybe this way folks can prepare themselves though - you know- expect the worst but pray for the best. I still have a really bad taste in my mouth for Gannett. It seems that no matter what they do, it's handled poorly. Starts at the top and trickles down to Publishers, EE's and Directors. Very, very sad. I feel for all you folks out there and what you are going through. Best to you all.
ReplyDeleteWorking at USAT is a friggin' nightmare! You sit in traffic at all times of the day and night. Then when you get to the Crystal Palace you are confronted with such dysfunction that it just elevates your blood pressure to the point where later on your drive home you are either beaten down or ready to never come back. If you want a sandwich anytime after 1 or 2 o'clock, you have to drives a few miles and sit on more lines in this ridiculously congested, spawling eyesore of an area lined with high-end cars and major attitudes. Or, you can walk down to the little company cafe and pay an insane amount of money for a week-old piece of chicken served to you by some of the most rude people I have ever met. Maybe they are rude because they are overworked and understaffed like every other department.
ReplyDeleteSome people toil at their desks unappreciated while others spend more time in the gym than they do working. Talk about a have and have-nots place. At least at the smaller Gannett papers most everyone suffers equally. I believe some people stay at USAT simply for their gym memberships, and have no real interest in the paper of in doing their jobs.
I left that place and am still angry that it wasn't anything close to what it was cracked up to be when I uprooted to come to northern Virginia. It's the Stepford paper in the Stepford town. So much disturbing stuff going on behind the scenes that it actually gets frightening at times. Lots of glitter and gold, high-end cars and fancy malls, but no soul, no substance and a paper that is run by some of the worst managers imaginable with some of the most convoluted ideas I've ever seen in my years in the biz. You have to take walk after walk around something they call a pond (it's really another illusion; a sewer) just to blow off steam at the lack of intelligence and awareness from the people in charge.
Jump ship if you can. And if considering working in that place, be careful because you may be highly disappointed in fairly short period of time with the company and the area. Of course, if you enjoy hanging on in the gym for three hours and like popcorn and play softball (yes, there is a ball field), and don't mind taking two hours to travel 20 miles, this might be the place for you. However if quality of life, affordable housing and engaging work is what you seek, forget about USAT and northern VA.
Just a warning to you younger professionals.
The deadline for applying for the voluntary severance in Westchester is today. Did anyone apply?
ReplyDeleteAlso: Any word on whether middle management, copy editors or reporters will be going? Or maybe the bloated features staff?
People complain about all the New Yorkers here on the site, but there is never enough news about the Journal News. Give up some info all you management types reading this. We need to know!
9:16 AM
ReplyDeleteYou are in some kind of fairyland to ever equate Gannett and morals! Taking the sick days that one simply loses is not immoral! What other company in the nation gives its employees five (5) sick days a year????
Yeah buddy, idiot here that never took sick days. Take them now everyone or Craig D. will be laughing as he makes 10 percent of the workforce walk the plank on Dec. 4th.
ReplyDeleteDon't hear much about layoffs at Gannet's military publications like Army Times, etc. Are those places making money or are they non-for-profit? Do the employees fall under Gannett's HR?
ReplyDeleteDo any of you people eat your young ?
ReplyDeleteWe ran "young" recipes on our food page last month.
ReplyDeleteChile con Kiddee was the best. Need a big slow cooker, though.
11:56 AM
ReplyDeleteA long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away --- (When working for a Gannett paper was fun) Gannett employees received 5 sick days a year. If you did not use them, they rolled over. (We did not have short-term or long-term disability back then) All was good until some corporate bean counter noticed that this was a fairly large liability on the books. So, they “banked” what you had and now give you 7 days (use it or lose it). I hope this explains why some of us IDIOTS have so much sick time. Damn work ethics! Before you ask, if you quit, get laid-off or do a buy-out, you do NOT get $ for them.
Clearly most of you have NEVER worked at another company. you have no idea how great your benefits are....welcome to the real world when you get laid off. You had it pretty nice at Gannett.
ReplyDelete2:07 -- while the Army Times is owned by Gannett -- they are treated like a separate entity. they have their own HR dept. and such a nice place to work. really. great journalists, good hours, low-stress. as far as i know, they haven't been affected at all. i'm pretty sure that their profit numbers are in good shape too.
ReplyDelete1:47 Just checked the time sheet!
ReplyDeleteHer we go again! In NJ it's five sick days a year! I would call you a "moron" but that's not really too professional!
1:02pm: Bravo and well said! GCI bit more than they could chew when they made the huge mistake moving from the Rosslyn twin towers to stepford McLean, trying to outdo the Joneses with a fancy complex with acres of grounds, ponds, tennis courts, etc. that they could do without. Just imagine the costs for landscaping, heating and cooling, security, etc. No one light bulbs aren't replaced now in many areas once they burn out.
ReplyDeleteThis was all done only for the convenience of the top brass living in their mansions just 10 minutes away. Traffic and public transportation for the common folk commuting in that area sucks, and God forbid you get stuck there during snow and ice.
To those of you getting out of there: don't ever look back and regret it; to those of you thinking of going there: think twice about it - it's not what you think it is - plus you wouldn't want to work with the phoney, snooty cult that exists in the GCI tower.
3:29
ReplyDeleteYeah the benefits are great. That's what Gannett has to bribe you with to get you to stay stuck in a rut.
But the benefits of being outside and on your own are so much better then wasting your life away in a unproductive industry. Yes it will seem tough at first and then you realize just how better off you are.
Can we please stop with the 'idiot' and 'moron' comments? It makes me sad to see the bickering, when everyone is in the same leaky boat.
ReplyDeleteI come here because it makes me feel a little better to commiserate with everyone, and when it gets negative like this, it just makes me even more nervous and agitated.
Please, can't we all just get along?
3:29, you don't know what you're talking about. All you're doing is scaring people who are about to lose their jobs. Why would you want to come here and poke a person in the eye when they're down? You're a jerk, and you speak like a true Gannett manager. If you aren't already in Gannett management, your attitude alone would make you a perfect fit.
ReplyDeleteI promise all of you that the benefits are MUCH better in the real world outside of Gannett. We've been brainwashed for so long that we don't realize how good it can be. The truth is that everyone should look forward to better health insurance, better pay, and as many sick days and vacation days that you have now. You'll soon realize how soul-sucking Gannett was after you're out. It will take some time -- a few weeks maybe -- but eventually you will find peace again. Good luck to all of you.
Sorry @3:41, but Gannett caused this type of negative atmosphere. Everyone is nervous, agitated and some are desperate. Yes we are all in the same leaky boat but watch your back, the desperate ones will try to push you overboard any chance they get.
ReplyDeleteBitching about fellow writers bitching really doesn't move the ball forward. If some want to calll their bosses morons and idiots, it is fine with me. In fact, I agree.
ReplyDelete3:29--You must be one of the Directors from The Journal News in Westchester, New York Touting how wonderful everyone has it at Gannett. How is the brass up at the Journal News handling the junk bond status of headquarters? Hopefully the people running things in White Plains will be the ones let go---not--the people who actually bust their asses.
ReplyDeleteTo the desperate ones that sellout co-workers to save their own jobs. You sold your soul to Gannett and for what? You should of got out over the years with the rest of the talented people who left on their own. You became to comfy in your BS job hoping to be the star of the building. Enjoy the comfort now, it will not last long. This company is not rebounding in this recession. Get your head out of your boss's ass and read the business wires. Macys with record losses, GM the nations third largest advertiser is sinking, Circuit City closing stores.
ReplyDeleteGannett's benefits are about average or slightly above. I've had three non GCI jobs -- two had slightly worse benefits and my current job is much better.
ReplyDeleteI hear that one Midwestern newspaper had more newsroom folks put in for the buyout than they had positions to eliminate.
If they haven't already, how about auctioning off that giant blue ball that someone considers art on the 11th floor? Could save a couple of jobs for a few more months. Unbelievable what they paid for that monstrosity.
ReplyDeleteQuestion to lighten this up a bit:
ReplyDeleteHow many photo galleries did your EE post from his/her last vacation?
Can anyone top 90 photos (three complete galleries)?
Benefits ARE better at Gannett than most newspapers. We had 5 sick days and they did NOT roll over, EVER! And pay was low and insurance was costly. Yes, there are better benefits in the public sector, and at big union companies, but they are laying off, too!
ReplyDeleteIf everyone who just posted all the whining crap I just read above today was let go, the company would be better off.
ReplyDeleteTraffic jams to get to Tysons? Oh boo hoo. Begone. You don't have the stomach to work anywhere, obviously.
Sometimes this blog is great. But today? Please. Spare us. Babies talking to other babies.
Hey, life in the towers these days isn't so wonderful. Unbelievable traffic jams on I-66 make everyone miserable, then the turgid atmosphere in the information center drags everyone's morale down in the pits. We all know what is coming, and everyone is out to protect their paycheck while watching their their backs for the long knives.
ReplyDeletehttp://blog.cleveland.com/business/2007/11/agediscrimination_cases_are_ri.html
ReplyDeleteInteresting stuff about age discrimination cases and how they are on the rise.
to anno@5:17 Hey Craig and Gracia thanks for stopping by. It must be nice living two miles from work. I love my hour long 13 mile commute to get paid so low that I might eating cat food like jim. I might be a DC panhandler they make more than I do.
ReplyDeleteUnlike other companies, the quality of our product is in direct relationship to the quality of our people - and the quantity. Our product is our talent. It's that simple. People won't read what isn't written well, or isn't something they already know, or is fluff. "Advertorial" is the bane of media, but that is all Gannett is going to be getting with these cuts. REAL journalists will be gone, replaced by kids and ad reps writting "good news stories" about car dealers and realtors. Readers won't put up with the crap long. They will cancel. Hell, they already are in droves anyway. Gannett is just pushing their properties off a cliff.
ReplyDelete30 to 40 gone from the Gannett side of the crystal palace dont know about usat. These people were informed today.
ReplyDeleteIf it's so bad, why don't you all just go work somewhere else?
ReplyDeleteWhat's that? You don't have the skills to get another job? Haven't bothered to learn how to use the techie tools that everyone else in the real world takes for granted? Oh, boo hoo!
Gimme a break. Quit whining and go have a better life somewhere else. No one put a gun to your head to stay anywhere, and no one has chained you to your seat.
5:55 p.m.:
ReplyDelete"30 to 40 gone from the Gannett side of the crystal palace dont know about usat. These people were informed today"
Are you on the GCI or USAT side of the building?
The fact that Gannett offers buy outs and people are paid to leave is in itself BETTER than a lot of companies laying off right now. So yes Gannett frankly offered me a better package than my wife got when she was laid off. So I agree. These lay off packages and buy outs won't be around forever. If you are get one now, believe it or not, you are lucky. it could be FAR worse.
ReplyDeleteTodd, I take it you are still unemployed and still complaining on this blog ...for lack of anything constructive to do with your time.
ReplyDeleteok, cherry hill girl here. Please, please what is all this talk about the dreaded jersey group, everyone feels bad for jersey. People hate jersey. Honestly, could you fill me in? we are doing alot of painting, cleaning & carpet laying. Spell it out, what do you know? Are we worse off than other gannett papers? I feel like I'm missing out on known facts, so whats wrong in NJ?
ReplyDelete6:13: Todd may still be unemployed and on this blog. But you are at work and spending time on this blog, must be that great work ethic that makes Westchester a big success.
ReplyDeleteDOES ANYONE KNOW ABOUT THE SOUTHERN PAPERS? CL FOR EXAMPLE...
ReplyDeleteThose severence packages aren't going anywhere. Companies give them for a reason.
ReplyDeleteWhat departments did the 30-40 corproate reductions come from?
ReplyDelete6:52 PM -- What's the reason?
ReplyDeleteAll we ever hear is about the larger newspapers. What about the Ohio papers that only have about 45 to 50 employees left after the last layoff. Now waiting for the next round. WE can't take much more or maybe that is the point!!!
ReplyDeleteTo any of you older employees 50+ have they offered you retirement versus layoff so you can keep your medical coverage?
That is more of a worry for alot of people.
7:59 p.m.
Morristown DR is planning a big bash this weekend. I'd like to know where the money is coming from. Here we are all worried about our jobs and they're going dancing. Can someone comment?????
ReplyDelete8:06 p.m. - The problem is, the Ohio papers are terrible. The leadership is the worst ever in Gannett. The worst has risen to the top, and the good ones all have quit or were fired/laid off. Those Ohio papers are a joke.
ReplyDeleteI have heard that the online departments will soon be eliminated and outsourced. Has anyone else heard this?
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know if the features editors are being targeted for layoffs?
ReplyDeleteJim: How about starting a thread where we can talk about how the digital operations work. at my place the news side of it is staffed Mon-Fri., basically 10 a.m -6 p.m. Print people squeeze it in among deadlines the rest of the time. does not show much committment to the future if it is not going to be staffed. 24/7
ReplyDeleteGood one 8:31. Hope everyone got the sarcasm in that.
ReplyDelete9:28 PM - No sarcasm intended. I've heard something along the like of another RTC/COE group for digital.
ReplyDeleteHmm, just got my annual self-eval form via e-mail, with a deadline of Nov. 21. Makes me hopeful I'll still have a job...surely they wouldn't go to the trouble of an eval if they were laying me off? Surely?
ReplyDeleteSorry to say you have to do your review even if you are getting laid off. It's to keep the records going that GCI needs. They love nothing more than their butt-protecting paperwork.
ReplyDeleteCherry Hill girl, in all the years I've been at the Courier Post, the only times that they ever cleaned anything let alone paint and carpet has been when some of the pompous asses from Gannett were coming in for a site visit. Could it be now that they are planning to sublet (rent out) some space or is the place for sale? The way business is going pretty soon there won't be any money from the few ads we're getting to run the lights in the offices. Our sales force is beyond pathetic!
ReplyDeleteTo the poster about overtime pay, I've kept records anticipating an eventual class-action case coming out of Gannett's overtime and exempt abuses. I think such a case is pointless while the Bush administration controls DOL, but things may change after January.
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if Jim could serve as a clearinghouse for a class-action lawyer, or somehow connect those of us who have evidence to share.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteMore than 30 jobs for US Publishing Division have been posted this month alone. Gives me the impression the company is beefing up instead of scaling back.
11/12/2008 9:59 AM
I've wondered if the purpose of "layoffs" isn't to reduce the number of staff, but as a questionably legal loophole to lower the wages and benefits to those jobs. At my paper, they laid off workers with seniority who were earning decent wages (some hired long before Gannett bought a paper) and immediately hired at least one new reporter. If they hire new people (or the old ones back) under pitiful wages and benefits that the job market traffic bears in today's desperate work market, they essentially arbitrarily cut targeted people's pay.
It is so nice that the DR can afford a big party this week, but will be laying off people next week. We know the ad revenue isn't covering it.
ReplyDeleteI have considered the possibility of the Cherry Hill building being for sale, but I don't really think that makes sense. First, if it were, it would not be for a printing facility, and the building would be knocked down to make room for a box store or a condo development or another assisted living facility. So it would be a tremendous waste of money to paint, carpet, fix bathrooms and buy office chairs. Also, why convert the press if you are closing it down? I think the improvements are because suits will be visiting, and I think renting out space in the building is a great idea once/if the economy improves.
ReplyDelete8:04 am asked about attorneys interesting in claims of overtime pay abuse. I wrote about a law firm last February that had already begun an investigation into such problems in Gannett. Here's a short URL to my post: http://tinyurl.com/5q3pny
ReplyDeleteseems to me the cherry hill facility would make a nice hq for the Inky, complete with a printing plant for their sj edition ... can't be too long before the viability of the courier is such that the real estate is worth more than the subscriber list ... can you spell fire sale?
ReplyDeleteAbout the law firm, I just sent my OT horror story and got a response back within an hour.
ReplyDelete