Thursday, June 21, 2012

June 18-24 | Your News & Comments: Part 3

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33 comments:

  1. It was a year ago today that I and many other people were laid off by Gannett. Has life gotten better? You betcha!

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  2. According to the Whitehouse,the unemployment rate is going down and jobs are out there.
    Therefore, all Gannett employees should find new jobs now and let the VPs and management put out papers.It would be awesome to see,
    after years of treating employees like disposable trash.

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  3. Congrats to those who find life after Gannett is a wonderful life.
    Too bad more don't voluntarily choose to do the same instead of waiting for corporate to decide when, not if, you leave.

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  4. Glad to hear it, 8:36. Congratulations!!!!

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  5. Time for another round. Mother Gannett has too many kids in the Crystsl Palace slipper.

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  6. Does anyone out here have information about what Gannett/GPS may have offered in the last severance package?

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  7. As bad as Gannett and USA TODAY are to work for, getting laid off isn't always a gateway to an improved career or life. Be careful about what you wish for...

    Each person laid off is an individual with unique challenges in their lives. Getting back into the workforce isn't as easy as it might seem to some. Finding a good job is not totally dependent on talent or ambition. Many other factors come into play. The obstacles include everything from age discrimination to inability to relocate, not to mention a still high unemployment rate.

    Newspaper work is unique in a sense. While some of the skills do transfer to other businesses, getting employers to realize that in an already tough job market is quite a chore. Many of us sacrificed low pay and tough working conditions for years because we loved the business and thought this company, if nothing else, would make more of an attempt to avoid layoffs or at least transfer or retrain many of us instead of just cutting us loose with virtually no safety net.

    I am disappointed in how Gannett and USA Today let so many loyal people go without giving a second thought to how it would alter careers and lives. This company pretended it was all about business and the recession, but let's face it, many of the layoffs were more about greed and revenge than anything else. Papers like USA TODAY were and are still profitable, so I think it's a farce to compare the flagship to a business that loses millions of dollars each quarter.

    Yes, many people who got laid off landed on their feet through hard work and random luck. Some may be better off for getting ousted by Gannett. But many of our former colleagues never rebounded. I hope no one forgets the people who fell by the wayside through no fault of their own -- the people who have no hopes now of a comfortable retirement or attaining meaningful employment. The people who lost their health coverage and their health. The people who trusted in their bosses at Gannett and who were betrayed in the blink of an eye.

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  8. Congrats, 8:36 :) My last day was two weeks ago, and I am SO much happier now.

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  9. A year ago today was one of the worst days of my life. I couldn't have imagined then that life could get so much better, that I could find a line of work that is more fulfilling. I work with people who not only value my contributions but who encourage me to show leadership - something I was always slapped down for at Gannett. I still hate Gannett for how it treats its own, but I feel like celebrating today.

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  11. Some former colleagues have asked me to post some encouraging words on here. Yes, fourteen months ago I was crudely dismissed without notice. It took me two months to land a new position with a company that respects me, that I respect, and has consistently rewarded me. My only regret is that I did not pursue another job while still shackled and disrepected by Gannett and leave on my own decision.

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  12. TOthe above all: Lifes GREAT after GANNETT!!

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  13. What is the correct 401K website address? The one I had been using says "Site is being updated" for the last week.

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  14. I was let go at the end of April. A month later I received a job offer with a better company, MUCH better pay and even better benefits. I'm into week 2 here and I absolutely love it here. Who knew getting let go would be the best thing to happen to me? Awesome severance + much better job = can't ask for more! Glad to be out of the sunk ship that is Gannett! Biggest favor anyone could ever do for me.

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  15. Next month, it will be 18 months since they unceremoniously shut down our department. Our failure was not our own; it was poor practices and management well above us.

    A year and a half later, the success stories of everyone who worked under my management are awesome. A few are doing no better, but they were the type that were barely hanging on and doing the minimum. Even so, they are all employed now and there are no sad stories.

    And I would never have believed how well some have done. For myself, it took 5 months to find the right job, but I've had 3 promotions since, and now have nearly matched my Gannett salary, which I thought could never happen. (It was very high.) And i didn't even have to move to do it.

    Why do I still come back here? I only do now and then. I want to know when something happens to what's left of my old colleagues and friends, scattered all over the country, and it's the only way to get the truth. I know this string, where so many of us "ex" people have chimed in, makes some folks mad. But don't mind posting it anyhow, because I would have LOVED to have know this 2 years ago.

    Best luck to all!

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  16. Stock market crashed yet Gannett wnet up. Great day!!!

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  17. SO many people finding jobs with better pay, better benefits and very appreciative managers. Please tell us where to apply. Share the wealth

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  18. Oh,Oh 4:09 will be chastised.Don't you know you must give name of your new employment or business to be credible here.
    I posted the same similiar post with reporting my new business venture doing really well as ex-Gannett employee and was discredited to no end.Yes, people do come away from Gannett with new and better lives.They don't believe in themselves so they hang on until being pushed out.

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  19. ....and speaking of life after Gannett... ABM here in Phoenix has offered all facilities people... drum roll, please... Minimum wage!
    So, this means that after paying company medical premiums, well, I'll just have to call it indentured servitude. Gannett thanks you for your years of service.

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  20. RE: 3:10 post....would you please share what your severance package included?

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  21. 401k site address.....anyone?

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  22. My severance package was 20 weeks, health and dental and of course vacation. They cheated me out of my stock options, however.

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  23. My severance package was nothing, even though I had 35 years with the company.

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  24. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  25. For 6:57:

    https://www.benefitsweb.com/gannett.html

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  26. Yeah they cheated you out of options that you didn't own. Yeah we feel sorry for you.

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  27. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  28. @657 here you go:

    https://www.benefitsweb.com/gannett.html

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  29. 10:06 and 11:24...Thanks!

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  30. 5:22 - if you're ex-Gannett, why do you complain about issues at your site all the time? Your posting style gives you away on every post.

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  31. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  32. RE: 9:17PM At 35 years, were you GPS or USCP? Has anyone else had any experiences with this lack of severance?

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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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