Posted on 02/27/2008 1:39:44 PM PST by abb
From: Frank Santafede Sent: Wed 2/27/2008 2:55 PM Subject: Philadelphia Newspapers Lays off 68 Guild Members
Philadelphia Newspapers Lays off 68 Guild Members
Feb. 27, 2008
The Company laid off 68 Guild members today from the advertising, circulation, customer service, finance, marketing and systems departments.
This amounts to almost 10 percent of the union’s membership. Company officials said that a very small number of managers would be laid off.
“If the revenue is not there, then we have to cut expenses,” Michael Lorenca, executive vice president of Human Resources, told Guild officers. He said he did not know how much savings would result from the layoffs.
The layoff is effective March 28. However, the Company has told members to leave today and plans to reassign their work to surviving staff.
The Guild will begin working with the company to establish which of the laid off have bumping rights into other positions.
Under our contract, employees may volunteer to be laid off. The Company has said it will consider such offers. Those wishing to volunteer should contact Guild Representative Bill Ross at 215-928-0118. DO NOT have independent discussions with the company.
Sadly, these layoffs come five weeks after Philadelphia Newspapers CEO Brian Tierney told unions that he would be meeting with them individually for ideas on how to save money. In response to that request, the Guild formed a committee which has been coming up with revenue-generating ideas. But the Company, contrary to its promise, has not sought our input.
With or without the phone call, the Guild plans to meet with the Company to share our ideas and is asking for members to forward their suggestions to voices@local-10.com.
Of concern to the Guild leadership is that these layoffs follow threats by the Company that cuts would come if the union persisted in defending five advertising members who were unjustly fired last year.
Guild President Henry J. Holcomb said the Company “has done nothing but create a climate of fear, and everybody knows that’s not conducive to growing business.”
The layoffs come 13 months after nearly 100 members were cut from the Inquirer newsroom and the advertising department. In this round, the hardest hit was the advertising department with 49 layoffs. Additionally, the Company laid off six from circulation, eight from finance, two from marketing and three from systems.
The Guild is calling on the Company to stop these self-destructive cuts and work with its employees toward a more profitable future.
ping
So sad... NOT!!
This is good news. The Daily News, in particular, always was a leftist rag, worth reading only for the sports section. Since their new owner took over, they’ve only gotten worse, and they just raised the price a few weeks ago, to boot. The Inquirer is more for the elite libs, I only subscribed to them for the Sunday paper coupons. I belatedly discovered that most of the coupons can be found online, and I canceled my subscription with relish after the price rise. Good riddance.
ping
Direct evidence for group thinking as a pathogen.
I still remember Brian Tierney giving you the brush off when you asked him if the papers problems might be related to being in the tank for the left wing. (WPHT I think)
Hm... they laid off 10% of the “Guild”/union’s membership?
Sounds like they laid off 90% too few.
i think the daily news may get canned soon. the only thing it truly is good for is the sports section.
Flying Pigs leave the nest...
That would leave the Inky. They're the newspaper of record for Ramallah. What's a guild member make in "Palestine"?
I absolutely HATE when these lefty rags co-opt terms like “preacher” in place of “imam.”
Do they really think we can’t see through the ploy?
LOLOLOLOL!! You ought to send Tierney a letter reminding him of who you are and that you quizzed him on radio. Maybe he’ll change his tune now.
Was that on Smerconish's show? The guy said, "What liberal bias?"
That was an editor, Tom Fertick? (not Kevin Ferris). It was like hearing O.J. say, "What knife?"
Too bad that all the "non reporters" had to take the hit for the "non reporters".
These liberal pukes with their agendas have screwed every last young person they have left behind because they have wrecked the credibility of the Inquirer and THAT is all they ever really have to offer in the age of the internet.
I have the solution to his problem. All he has to do is come here and discuss it in the open and I won't charge him a cent.
He'd have to gut some Sacred Flying Pigs, but the papers can be saved.
You’re right. It wasn’t Tierney. I do remember the “What liberal bias?”
If he's gone that's good, firing Timpaine would be better.
Found him. Tom Ferrick. Metro columnist and guild steward.
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