Newspapers around the country are having a tough time raising revenues for a host of reasons, not the least of which is the economy right now. Papers and Publishers are asking their employees, or I mean their ‘workers,’ to volunteer to have your hours cut as well as your salary. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
Gannett Announces One-Week, Unpaid Furloughs
Today Gannett is implementing a furlough program across all U.S. divisions and at corporate headquarters. This means that most of our U.S. employees – including myself and all other top executives – will be furloughed for the equivalent of one week in the first quarter. This furlough will be unpaid. Unions also will be asked to participate.
Emphasis added. Why is there no mention about what the union thinks of their cost cutting plans? Put a camera on the CWA’s president. Someone ask him just how the union is expected to participate? That’s where the news is. What’s up with that?
Wouldn’t you like to see the CWA try to hold up newspaper publishers? Watching that would be like an adult reprimanding a child. Only in this case, I’m having trouble determining which is the adult.
You can bet if the news was about organizing a business, we would see it.
CORRECTION 1/17/09: Gannett is not asking their employees to volunteer to take a week off without pay, they are telling them to, and within the first quarter of 2009. Mmm, wonder what’s up for the next quarter?
related link: What to say if your boss calls during your furlough
