A reader who says they're a newsroom employee at The Arizona Republic told me the following in an e-mail:
I just had my hours cut from 40 a week to 20, and was told to keep my mouth shut until 2 p.m., so the managers could talk to everybody. Since I moved out here for them -- fuck 'em. You get to hear it first. It's a take-it-or-leave-it proposition, and takes effect on Monday. I lose all benefits as well.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
36 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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Cherrill - is that you??
ReplyDeleteSomeone please tell me this is not company wide!!!
ReplyDeleteNo health benefits/coverage if you work less than 30 hours a week.
ReplyDeleteYou are F***ING kidding me! F***! F***! F***!
ReplyDeleteThis company, Gannett, is a bunch of lying bastards! It is probably true because the sales results were so lousy for December and look even worse in January. And it will only get worse. Don't trust anything they tell you 'cause they cannot tell the truth and (as always) don't give a hoot for the employees. All these 'suits' in Virginia care about is themselves and their fat salaries and bonuses and perks. When in the hell will the stockholders clean house???
ReplyDeleteI understand you can - or could - purchase health benefits from Gannett as a less than 30 hour employee, but you would pay the full premium, which would be nearly impossible for anyone working less than 30 hours. Are most people aware Gannett insures itself and only hires the insurance companies to administer its policy? Which means all those reductions in coverage, increases in premiums and penalty fees -- for being a smoker or being overweight or having red hair or covering a spouse -- go straight into Gannett's pocket or Bob Dickey's greens fees.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely not a nice thing to do to an employee. I wonder how many of those in the last round of layoffs had been recruited from elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteYou, my friend, are an idiot. Why would you give them more ammo to cut your hours to 0? You don't think they are going to figure out who posted this?
ReplyDeleteAND you still have a job. Everyone here complains (about everything) to no end but good luck finding another job elsewhere, doing what you're doing, for the same pay. People amaze me. I dislike what's going on but I'm employed.
ReplyDeletean idiot...I disagree.
ReplyDeleteZero hours might be a better deal than 20. They lose benefits below 30, so that is no longer part of the equation. They no longer have to pay commuting expenses or lunches or other assorted work related things that empty your wallet every week. And, they may get more money on unemployment than the 20 they would get from working.
I save a huge amount of money every week by not working. Plus I'm off all the meds, so everything is much better.
If you are regularly scheduled for less than 23 hours a week, you are ineligible for insurance and 401k. Nice to know that bit about Gannett's insurance policies; makes me feel better about having my health insurance elsewhere.
ReplyDelete6:55pm & 8:12pm: You two need to get out more. There are better jobs out there (at this rate, McD's offers more stability and a career opps) If Gannett cuts me to 20 hours, they'll be losing me forever.
ReplyDeleteSo why is Gannett not looking at those who are saying they are not smokers and yet they smoke on Company property. They are getting the cheaper health care rates but yet they smoke and get away with it and the publishers do nothing to stop it.
ReplyDelete20 hours is better than 0 hours. You could get another 20 hour job to make up the difference.
ReplyDeleteIs this going on anywhere else?
ReplyDeleteIs this for real?
ReplyDeleteWhat is the context for this cutback to part-time?
20 hrs working for this company is 20 hrs too many.
ReplyDeleteDon't give them the satisfaction. Screw Gannett. Have some self-respect. You can get 20 hours with no benefits working anywhere.
I agree that 20 hours is not neccessarily better than none. With none you can claim unemployment and very likely get close to what you would be making at 20 hours a week. Plus, you'd have an extra 20 hours per week to look for work a real job. And, as pointed out previously, you would likely have fewer expenses.
ReplyDeleteWhat's more, layoffs often come with some sort of severance. This was apparently a cutback. Much better to have been laid off in December I would say.
So what's the inside scoop on this Jim? Fact or fiction?
ReplyDeleteI don't blame this person for posting this, what is Gannett going to do ”fire them”. They would probably make more on unemployment. That is exactly what Gannett is counting on, is this fear mentality. Don't back down. If we all join together we can stop these practices of bullying by Gannett and their VPs.
I'm not buying what the OP is selling. I think it's bullshit. Of coarse when Jim told us days before the official announcement of the furloughs...I thought that was bullshit as well.
ReplyDeleteKnowing Gannett, 20 hours means those workers will still end up being 30-40 hours/week off the record.
ReplyDeleteOddly, I wonder if I know the person who may have leaked this info out. They just moved out there from the Midwest a few months ago and they're definitely the kind of person who speaks their mind.
ReplyDeleteThe management of this company is simply reprehensible.
ReplyDeleteThe person who got is hours cut did just move here from the midwest. (He blogged about on his personal blog.) Moreover, they've now cut 10 people from the photo department. Photographers are driving hundreds (yes that's hundreds plural) of miles a day shooting up to four assignments a day, no lunch or meal breaks and physically impossibly to get done in 8 hour day.
For the employee who had his/her hours cut. Check with unemployment in that state. I believe if there are any changes to status, pay or hours you can be considered for unemployment benefits if you were to leave, but check first.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeleteYou, my friend, are an idiot. Why would you give them more ammo to cut your hours to 0? You don't think they are going to figure out who posted this?
1/21/2009 6:55 PM
I don't think so. I don't think that cause for firing would stand up at the Unemployment Office, and he/she will have more income, at least for a time, on umemployment than working 40 hours for 20 hours' pay and having no time to find another job (and it is a full-time job finding another job these days).
Because you don't really think Gannett did anything to reduce the workload someone was doing for 40 hours, do you? If you don't think he/she wouldn't be doing free OT on the 20, you clearly don't work for Gannett, my friend.
Anyone remember Patty Hearst? What's the name of that sydrome where the victim is brainwashed into sympathizing with the abuser?
ReplyDeleteBravo, 40/20.
It's after 2 p.m. Soooo...
ReplyDeleteWhat paper was this?
BTW, in Arizona you may be able to claim partial unemployment with the state since your hours were cut back so drastically. I don't remember exactly how it works but I believe you can collect partial unemployment while working in a situation like this. Check the labor law posters that they're required to keep on site. Or check with the state's unemployment division, although they are extremely overloaded and it's hard to get a hold of an actual person these days.
ReplyDeleteThis doesn't ring true to me. Why would target a money-savings attempt on one person? Generally, that's a political or performance issue.
ReplyDeleteThe company takes companywide steps these days, folks.
Whoever this was, it'd be nice to know more details to lend credibity to the claim. Of course, then, he/she would be revealing identity.
Too many questions surround this posting. It's a great way to raise everyone else's blood pressure. Maybe it' espressopundit posting here.
I heard last night from a friend that works in ad sales at the Arizona Republic, that all ad sales people are being required to take one week unpaid time off. The day off will be staggered (sales reps won't have more than one day off in a week).
ReplyDeleteAs for the support people that work in ad sales, they are all forced to take a week off unpaid and also face possible cut back in hours.
Tough Times!
My heart goes out to all of you facing these challenges. Stay positive and do what is best for you.
God Bless!
Here’s a cost saving thought for Craig: Keep all the frequent flyer miles earned by Gannett employees, especially the high milers.
ReplyDeleteOther company’s have done it. And, given that Craig routinely uses the term economic headwinds it seems more than appropriate that those miles are used to pay for company flights in future vs. having to use Gannett’s cash.
And, in regard to the Jet, sell the empty seats on eBay.
This person wasn't the only one affected. Several people in specialty publications were either laid off or had hours cut at the Republic.
ReplyDeleteThe " Patty Hearst" syndrome or when you sympathize with your attacker is "the Stockholm Syndrome"............SOUND FAMILIAR GANNETT BLOGGERS?!
ReplyDeleteArizona Republic.....Photographers are driving hundreds (yes that's hundreds plural) of miles a day shooting up to four assignments a day, no lunch or meal breaks and physically impossibly to get done in 8 hour day.
ReplyDeleteNo lunch or meal breaks.....Boo frinkin hoo! These same photographers are making between $62,000 and $87,000 per year plus mileage. NEXT !!!!
re: no health care -
ReplyDeletebe sure to check with your state's insurance commission to see if there are cheap options for catastrophic health insurance. not a cushy corp. policy but something that kicks in if you get hit by a (Gannett) truck.beats paying a fortune for cobra if you are healthy (hope you are.)
many counties here in Fla. now have rx. cards for anyone who needs them - ask at the library in your county. they let you get some rx. at a pre-set rate.
two churches near me have free health clinics by volunteers twice a month. better than nothing.
consider taking one or two classes at a local college and then buying the student policy. check to see how many credits you need to sign up. take basket-weaving and get a good deal on insurance (vs. the retail marketplace.)
and have nice baskets to sell by the side of the road,
a friend
Can we talk about how JZ gives his neighbor a HUGE discount on running full run ads for a FRACTION of even the cost of the page, maybe Gannett/TAR needs to look at that and save money there instead of cutting hours and laying people off. I am sure that Craig DuBow has no idea that this sort of discounting is even going on.
ReplyDelete