Saturday, January 26, 2013

This thread is for your GPS layoff comments

Gannett Publishing Services, a division created in September 2011 for printing, distribution and other newspaper functions, is now laying off an undetermined number of employees, according to Gannett Blog readers.

GPS employed 7,700 of the company's 31,000 total workers worldwide, as of Dec. 31, 2011 -- the most recent figure available publicly. The next updated figure -- as of the end of 2012 -- will likely be published late next month.

Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write jimhopkins[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the rail, upper right.

48 comments:

  1. Approx 100 GPS layoffs today

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    1. Is that for the whole company?

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  2. More layoffs at GPS. I wonder how many of that 7700 could be left? I was let go last year by them. GPS has no heart. Good luck to anyone let go. I don't wish that on anyone not even management.

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  3. Way, way, way more than 100.

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  4. I always think of a Twilight episode when ever I think of my days at Gannnett,then GPS. The one where a factory becomes automated and lets all the people go until finally nobody is left, even the boss gets replaced by a robot.

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    1. It's an episode called "THE BRAIN CENTER AT WHIPPLE'S" from Season 5Many great quotes and very relevant to today's job market.

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    2. pray tell..what sites were affected.. no answers, no layoffs

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  5. What site's so far and any word which one's are next ?

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  6. I heard its Phx, about 100 people. No other details though.

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  7. I know of heavy casualties in Cincinnati, Louisville, and Indianapolis.

    The Phoenix rumor above leads me to believe that the rumor number of over 2,000 is a good number.

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    1. You're full of crap. It's a total of 100.

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    2. How would there be 2,000? What have all those people been doing -- pleasuring each other on the job?

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    3. 5 from Missouri USA TODAY

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    4. If it is 100 alone in Phoenix, and site after site is posting losses today, the 100 number is extremely low.

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    5. what departments at those papers?

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  8. USAT laid off 2 people in Phoenix and 1 in LA. Marketing, Marketing coordinator and someone from the rack center who used to be USAT also.

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  9. Heard that USAT Regional Marketing Managers and/or Directors are loosing their titles and being demoted to Account Managers. All USAT employees in Marketing need to start getting your stuff in order, resume, office, phone, contacts, etc....

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  10. As this site predicted months ago, the axes are falling again. Heads rolling first in USAT's lame advertising, unnecessary circulation and pointless and bloated marketing departments.

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    1. Right. Which prediction are we talking about? There is one poster who says every day that layoffs are coming. Are we really supposed to believe that person actually knew something?

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    2. I can't speak for months ago. But last Monday, Anonymous@8:55 a.m. wrote:

      "From the VP'S mouth, Furloughs and layoffs in the GPS Div. this Black Thursday..only going to get better."

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    3. Jim, You no that it was me, I never give you information that is not true. I have posted dozens of confirmed layoffs, furloughs, GPS happenings for a few years. I have emailed you several times. I don't bullshit when it comes to this stuff.
      Happy P.

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  11. What groups lost staff today in Cinti?

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  12. A very good friend of mine was let go in Cincinnati today from circulation, had been here along time. I can't believe that they kept the ones they did over him. One of those they kept has only been here 4 years, go figure. I guess because he always told it like it is he was let go. I can only hope that my time is coming can't take watching good people being let go for no reason. God help us all we need it.

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    1. Typical. I was witness to much the same. Two managers had to contend for one position. The most talented (i.e., a manager with actual managing experience, plus experience with having done the jobs of those this individual oversaw) got the boot. Evidently the winning quality they were looking for rested more in one's capacity to kiss ass and, if affording staff anything, only hostility was the ticket.

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    2. Do tell, who dropped the axe on your buddy

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  13. Not a good day, for sure - for Gannett or the US economy. No matter how much "the economy rebounds", if companies continue to consolidate, if jobs continue to be automated, we will end up with 60% unemployment.

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  14. What kind of severance package?

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  15. I heard the two marketing people in Phoenix and LA were troublemakers, aka big mouths. Is this a trend with other locations too?

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    1. That's a cop out! If they were actually trouble makers, get rid of them and replace them. No, if they laid them off, the positions were no longer necessary! Always good to blame it on the victims!

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  16. The sales side of GPS (CSS) is overstaffed. There is some, not a lot, but some fat that can be trimmed there with little to no impact. The managers and directors have less control of what they do so there could be or should be a "leveling" off on the CSS side. The sad news is that they are top heavy, but I imagine the cuts will come from the lower paid local people.

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  17. Losses in circulation in Nashville today. I heard five and only know of one, but I presume the number 5 is correct.

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    1. What POSITIONS in circulation? You have to figure as USA Today gets more integrated with the other print products, the job duplications have to addressed.

      Certainly anyone tied to racks (such as the Phoenix person) needs to re-assess their career choice. Cities are trying to eliminate racks. They're costly and clunky, and their use as an advertising vehicle is long past. Never mind the theft problems. Most supermarkets and convenience stores sell papers inside now.

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    2. At least one of the circulation positions in Nashville was a rack-card designer. I believe this was technically a USAT position.

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  18. How many in Cherry Hill?

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    1. Certainly not enough and certainly not the drones that have been kept on for too many years. Too bad they can't be named here, but most know who the are.

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  19. The spread sheet shows that this blog doesn't have a huge following anymore.
    There certainly must be lay offs across most sites and they are just not being reported on here.

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    1. I posted the spreadsheet only 12 hours ago.

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    2. This post is an example of how someone can be totally wrong and right at the same time. The blog is irrelevant, but not for the reason this poster provides. How do you know there are "lay offs across most sites"? Guessing?

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    3. The last time there were mass layoffs weren't nearly all sites effected?
      I am wondering if the other sites are not responding here.

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    4. Obviously there has been no announcement from Gannett. Wouldn't want to cast doubts and upon investors and reverse the upward stock trend back to a severe dive.
      Without this blog, maybe they could get away
      with keeping it quiet.
      This stealth attempt may fail.

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    5. Jim, that reference you cite is just someone being lazy. Did that writer even contact you or just retype something you posted?

      The "newsy" reference is entertaining, too. What exactly is "newsy"? Only 90% unconfirmed rumors?

      Speaking of which -- good try to instill fear, 2:12.

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    6. The writer asked me for an interview after reading my blog. She said she wanted an outside perspective on the company for her story. And she interviewed me by phone.

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  20. There are no USA Today positions in circulation and production. It's all integrated now. It's GPS - a combo of USAT and USCP. In the field in GPS you are a Gannett employee. You may still have a USAT email but you are GPS.

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  21. Sorry but do you think the "market" cares if there are 100 jobs reduced? I think not. It's negligable in the overall analysis of a $5 billion company. It's important to those affected, of course, but to the market? No. Doesn't move the needle an inch. Actually, it was probably expected as part of the consolodation talked about with the establishment of the new division.

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  22. How about 1,000 jobs?
    Would that get noticed?
    Obviously the number will be much greater than 100.

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    1. One at Wilmington site was let go last week. He worked in single copy and he and his wife just had a baby. Nice. There is possibly one other person that was eliminated.

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

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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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