I've heard of at least two newsrooms already cranking out advance "evergreen" furlough features, to fill papers when thousands of employees take mandatory unpaid time off through March.I wonder if the company has deployed the same hurry-up tactic in other departments in the newspapers division, like advertising and production? Plus, what about broadcasting and other Gannett units that employ a combined 35,000 U.S. workers subject to furlough? Are employees across the company doing work in advance that otherwise would never get done?
That would indicate one way management is working around a self-imposed edict that no one sets foot on company property during their time off: Employees will be pushed to do the work in advance -- and on overtime that in many cases will never get paid.
In other words, with the board's blessing, Corporate plans to make its current-quarter profit by reaching into the back pockets of mostly rank-and-file workers, many of whom can ill-afford the hit.
But enough about wage-and-hour law; time to speed up the line:
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"and on overtime that in many cases will never get paid."
ReplyDeleteAnd your evidence for this is what, exactly?
Folks, please be reminded that unpaid overtime for hourly workers is illegal. As in, a violation of Federal law. As in, subject to penalties and stuff. Wal-Mart workers did not let that stand; Gannett workers should not let that stand, either.
ReplyDelete1:31 pm: Past practice, and common sense.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I welcome a list of Gannett sites that have budgeted additional overtime dollars to pay for the work that would otherwise not be done by furloughed employees.
The vast OT abuse probably is to employees who are exempt from overtime pay but who don't authentically qualify under federal standards for exempt status.
ReplyDeleteThat was my experience with Gannett, unequivocably.
Exempt status is for people who can make choices about how to manage their time -- for example, people who can choose to go play golf for a week on full salarary -- and not for those who have quantifiable work to perform following strict, systemic deadline schedules.
@1:31 p.m. You're naive. Management, probably, but naive nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteI know at the paper I work reporters/photogaphers/copy desk all work well more than 40 hours, but only put 40 on their time card because of a couple of factors.
One is they take pride in their work and they're willing to make sacrifices to have that work come out good.
But the main reason is that management sends out e-mails and mentions in meetings that there is to be no unapproved overtime. And then they also say in the next sentence that it's OUR job to manage our hours to make sure OUR work gets done in the allotted time.
Either way, I'm pretty sure our place is a good example of what's happening across the Gannett chain. In fact, when I was doing video training and talking to other Gannetteers, they mentioned the same expectations at their paper.
As for working on evergreen stories to run during furloughs, you bet it's happening. I've already been asked to get several things done in anticipation of my first furlough day coming up this week. And when I told my boss that all that extra work would probably put me around OT, I was told "Well, just manage your hours to make sure you don't have OT. We can't have OT during these furlough periods."
This is just wrong.
ReplyDeleteI remember working my butt off before every vacation, trying to work ahead so my co-workers wouldn't be swamped. Vacations are paid, so that took some of the sting away.
Now, to force people to do extra UNPAID work in anticipation of an UNPAID week is, I think, borderline criminal.
Everyone is vulnerable in this economy, and Gannett knows that. The people who don't work more than their share of unpaid OT on top of their regular unpaid OT will be the first to go in the next layoff, I think.
I've asked this ten times and all receive a snarky answer. Name someone who ahs been fired for putting their true hours on a timecard. I've worked for this company for awhile and I have never met a shy or woosy reporter. Why is this the one area where you all go screaming into the night crying they will fire me if I put down my actual hours? Come on, you'd have the greatest case of wrongful termiantion in teh history of America if that happened. So what's the story, what the hell are you afraid of? Seriously.
ReplyDeleteDocument, Document, Document by date, time and person stating either verbally or in writing to not put ALL HOURS worked on your time-sheet etc.
ReplyDeleteThe only way to beat Gannett at their own game is to have proof that is suitable for legal action.
Their ignoring of Federal Wage/Work laws can cost them Hundreds of Millions $$$$....but only if we, the workers take action against them.
Class Action lawsuit will bring a quick end to this illegal activity by this most unethical,corrupt corporation.
We can do this together....
5:31 what is the case? We are all pussys and never wrote our time down?
ReplyDeleteI'm taking a furlough day this week and also working on one of my weekend days. Net savings for Gannett: ZERO
ReplyDelete