Friday, October 2, 2009
Media / News Bites A Letter to the Newspaper Guild at the Joliet Herald News
Posted by Michael Miner on 10.02.09 at 07:25 PM
Again courtesy of the management of the Sun-Times Media Group, I've been shown a second letter from the nonunion employees of a STMG daily to the paper's Newspaper Guild members. This one's from the Joliet Herald News and it carries 28 signatures.
As with the first letter, which originated at Indiana's Post-Tribune, the the message comes down to this: don't look a gift horse in the mouth even if it's a godawful looking horse, because there's nothing else to eat. "We the non-union employees and your fellow workers at the Herald News/Sun-Times News Group have seen our pay reduced substantially with no choice other than to resign. Most of us realized voluntarily leaving our jobs during this time would be financially unwise. We feel fortunate to be working at this time...
"In Jim Tyree we have someone willing to save our jobs. In time, with Mr. Tyree's significant financial investment and our continued hard work the Sun-Times News Group should once again be profitable and hopefully employee compensation will improve. In the event compensation is not adequately restored, we will at the least have been afforded time to find suitable employment during better times."
Here's a link to the entire letter.
The Joliet guild members rejected Tyree's terms by a vote of 14 to 1.
Comments (57)
Showing 1-50 of 57
My fellow employees. We understand your fears. We have them too. Being union doesn't protect workers as it did in the past.
HOWEVER, you are misguided by "Mister Tyree's" and "Mister Halbreich's" promises. Do not think for one moment that the investors are interested in anything but the bottom line. They do not care for the quality of our newspaper - only ultimate profit. They do NOT care about you or your families. Get that notion out of your heads.
And to reach that profit, you will be fired - that includes you, middle managers. Start giving in to their demands and they will keep demanding. You will NOT have time to leisurely look for another job. You'll be hitting the pavement right away because they're going to start "cutting the fat". Once these investors actually take over there is going to be a blood bath. They are not trying to take away our power for nothing. They have every intention of gutting our contract so that they can get rid of people - union and non-union.
The reason they don't nullify the union contracts is fear that the entire company - all staff - will unionize.
We are not your enemies. Whatever victories we have will benefit everyone. If we fail, you won't be worse off. Don't think that you're safe just because "Mister Tyree made a promise..." People don't get rich by being nice.
If we allow these billionaires to reduce us to frightened yes-men, then we are setting a precedent. If you give them an inch they'll take a mile and people in this country will be working 12 hours with no overtime pay. Don't be cowards. Stand with us. Stand up for your rights. Because once they start taking, they're going to suck every last drop of blood.
Shame on you, Jeremy, for pitting employees against each other to take attention away from your own shenanigans. Unfortunately for you, it isn't going to work. Here's a better idea - reduce your own salary and the salaries of the "executives" from $1 million to say, $300,000 with NO BONUSES. That would be a great start.
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Management and the unorganized employees don't understand. Their tactics backfire.
And as the managers make these plays, we're learning their secrets. Married men and their girlfriends, that sort of thing. Wonder if that stuff will come out?
I will not stand with you. I don't care what happens to your union. You don't care about me anymore than management does. So, let's cut the "I know what's best for you" crap.
Yes, these middle managers/editors who sit around and do a lot of nothing everyday - and show up for 5 hours a day - are being told to create these little battles between union and non-union. If you got rid of half of them, the same amount of work would get done. The Aurora honchos especially come to mind.
As reporters, we know management's dirty little secrets like where you've applied for jobs, lies you've told your superiors, time off not accounted for - that sort of thing. Some of us keep records, too.
Remember, you reap what you sow.
Ms. Angry: So, you think that when they cut 35% of the staff companywide you are going to survive? You feel lucky, do you? Think you're a hotshot reporter who's too valuable to lose?
Have you ever used company medical insurance? Have you taken too many days off? Ever make a mistake? Ever get your boss angry? Ever made a VIP outside the company angry?
If so, don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.
Rippy, we'd all like to know the gossip. Please do tell. It would take our minds off the other issues for a while. But then after that, what will it matter? You can be a sun-times executive, get drunk at a company function, go back to the office with one of your employees and mess up a conference room, if you know what I mean, and not even get a slap on the wrist.
Some of you keep threatening that we'll be fired. Hey, maybe we will. But we'll definitely lose our jobs if the company shuts down, which will happen if no one buys us, which will happen if the union doesn't agree to the concessions. Those of us still working for the company have survived two rounds of layoffs and we'd rather take our chances on a third round than the 100 percent certainty that we will lose our jobs if the company closes down. I really don't know how you can argue against this. And as people keep saying but some people can't seem to grasp, we're not going to benefit from your fight. Severance, seniority - we don't have these things. If you get to keep yours, we still won't have these things. We're on our own, every man for himself. No one is complaining about that. We just want our chance to keep working.
No one in the union complained about manager excess when papers were making 20% profits. Executives didn't complain about the union having too many benefits when papers were making 20% profits. Let's face it: We have a dog eat dog here and no one is going to win. No one but Tyree knows what he will do if he gets control. Jeremy's head might be the first to roll! Tyree's group has a lot of union money in it I hear. All this talk about the company pitting the non union people against the union people is crap! LISTEN UP: What's going on is human nature! I look out and see the guilds voting down measures that could save my job. Don't ya think that would piss me off? My wife is in poor health. Hey Mr. Guild member! Are you gonna give me the money for her medicine? Are you gonna call up the bank when I'm being foreclosed on and offer up a couple of months of mortgage payments? I don't think so. So you better hope that you are not standing next to me in the unemployment line because it won't be pretty. I'm not sayin' I'm just sayin'.
I have to agree that UPPER MGMT should give up their pay, cut their pay in 1/2, NO BONUSES, NO RAISES which I'm sure has taken place while the rest of you continue to suffer and fight for your jobs. Its time to leave the little guys along and GO AFTER the BIG BOYS make the BIG $$$$$. Dont think for a second that upper mgmt will be able to survive w/out a job while the rest of you will scrap by. Why don't they make more concessions? who is going to reap the 2 million $$$ once the purchase is final? that money should be divided up amongst the remaining employees. Upper mgmt never looks out for the little guy ~ they seem to forget where they started (at the bottom of the ladder) Anyway, I also have to agree that the unions should vote YES. SAVE EVERYONES JOBS!!!! At least there will be insurance - food - heat - You know there is nothing out there right now and there is no unemployment left. Do you have a savings like the upper mgmt team to survive? Don't let mgmt pit you against each other - work as a TEAM and then stand strong TOGETHER as a TEAM following all that will come your way. I would hate to see all of your publications go down to leave only one major paper in IL and one major paper in Ind. you know those papers are just waiting for you to shut the doors. Just maybe if you vote yes, the two other competitors will go out of business (due to their debt) leaving you as the sole survivor ?? Now would'nt that be nice?
worried for all
MAKING THREATS NOW? Because we are fighting for what we believe in you are going to threaten us with bodily harm?
The sunny optimists who believe they're going to survive unscathed - and HAPPILY maintain their wonderful medical insurance, pay, etc., are deluded. You have one in three chances of being fired. Period. And if you are one of the chosen few, what about YOUR fellow employees being given the ax? You don't give a damn about that. Just as long as you survive. Selfish, self-centered individuals! With your attitude, you'll end up in the unemployment line anyway, so why not fight? Why not use your strength and determination to make things better for all?
I've got news for you, I also have health problems and am looking at losing my home, but I'm not going to take the coward's way out. I'm going to fight. It doesn't have to be this way. The billionaires can give a little bit because ultimately they will make a profit whether the company goes under or not. But as long as there are cowards like you in the office, why should they? They know you're easy. They say jump and you say "how high?"
You can fight - union or no union. I suggest we all organize so that we're 100% union. Even if you don't, you can take steps to protest. If you don't do it for yourself, do it for your children because ultimately they will suffer when - because of your cowardice - big business can pay them peanuts for their work. And what kind of example are you setting by being a coward?
PLEASE - LET US NOT THREATEN EACH OTHER. It's what management wants. If you want to keep your job stick together. It's the ONLY way.
The bottom line is, at the end of the day, there is an outside chance the guild will get some kind of small give-back from Tyree, if anything at all.
Then you have to wonder: "Was it worth the risk?"
"Wow," you realize. "No, it wasn't." Never even for a moment did your risk-reward calculus make any sense.
If you had made any sense -- and if you had rallied your members, other employees, and public opinion around something coherent -- then your cause could have taken you further.
But you don't make any sense. So people just think, "**** those guys. They don't even know what they're doing."
Be honest with yourself. All you have is hope and long odds. Whether this ends in a good way or a bad way, just know that the labor movement will be hurt by this for a long time to come. If you had bargained smartly from the beginning, maybe you could have been the saviors you wanted to be. But by your own ineptitude, you will be remembered as saboteurs.
The Herald News staff (both Guild and non-Guild) didn't utter a word of concern when their company shut down the Plainfield production plant. Many staffers there had worked for the HN for years and years. They were all let go with no severance or health benefits. Now that the remaining jobs are in peril they raise a ruckus. No, the Herald News, Beacon News, Naperville Sun and the Courier News will all be better off if they are separated from the train wreck known as the Chicago Sun Times. Read this for a some history of the paper http://newsosaur.blogspot.com/2009/01/sun-times-most-jinxed-newspaper.html The Copley Newspapers have been almost destroyed by Hollinger and they will do better with new owners.
If we had bargained smartly from the beginning????? Are you out of your mind? We were ready to bargain from Day One! From Day One we said it wasn't about salary and it was about everything else. From Day One we wanted to sit down with Mr. Halbreich and Mr. Tyree to negotiate. And from Day One, THEY have said there will be no negotiation. How is that bargaining smartly? If rolling over and taking their crap is considered "bargaining smartly," then yes, I guess we blew it by trying to do things the right way.
OUR MIDDLE MANAGERS ARE SHARING THE INTERNAL MEMOS AND INFORMATION WITH THIS PUBLICATION. THEY ARE THE ONES TRYING TO TURN EMPLOYEES AGAINST EACH OTHER.
NO MORE!
IT IS TIME TO START SHARING EVERY NASTY THING YOU KNOW ABOUT YOUR MANAGER WITH THE EXECUTIVES AND TYREE. NOTHING IS SACRED IT'S TIME TO TALK ABOUT THE AFFAIRS, THE JOB SEARCHES, THE LIES ON TIME SHEETS, THE LAZINESS, THE DISHONESTY.
THEY WANT TO SCREW US. TIME TO TURN THE TABLES.
The reason these letters are starting to come out from the nonunion workers is from our perspective it looks like the guild is fiddling while Rome burns. As far as we can tell there's no negotiation going on, no reconsideration, just sitting around waiting for the company to run out of money. So yes, we'd like to see you actually doing something. And if there's no negotiations going on, they'd better start doing some or accept that's never going to happen and vote anyway. The choice here isn't between the sale and maintaining the status quo; it's between the sale and nothing. You may think nothing is a viable choice, but we don't.
No, the reason these letters are coming from nonunion workers is because they're originating with management. It's play No. 41-B in the "how to deal with unions when things aren't going as hoped" handbook. The Guild has received such letters before in the course of contract negotiations, and no one who's ever been through it before bats an eye at such things.
Yes, this is different that your run-of-the-mill negotiation, but the management tactics are the same. This particular one never works.
Mike Miner, where's your manners? If you're gonna invite us to watch a soap opera play out, have the decency to lay out some popcorn, sodas, even a damn pickle, something!
Six of one, the union workers still seem to lack an appreciation for the anger and frustration felt by the common nonunion worker. I don't mean middle managers, I mean your average reporter or copy editor or photographer. You seem to relish the class struggle that a fight with management entails and so management becomes your bugaboo for everything. Stop kidding yourself; this isn't just some vast management conspiracy. There is sincere opposition to your position among the rank and file. You can ignore us, and many have, but at least be honest with yourselves and stop trying to play this off as some great proletariat vs. bourgeoisie fight. The workers of the world are not united on this one.
GuildEmp, when you say, "From Day One we said it wasn't about salary and it was about everything else," that is exactly the point.
"Everything else" is unrealistic. You won't get it. You know the end game: if (IF) you get one thing back from Tyree, it will be a big moral victory and the members will grumble and then accept it.
You have to decide what that one thing is. Say, better severance. And you have to decide it early on, like three weeks ago. You guys will figure that out eventually, except it might already be too late.
Problem is, you have absolutely no idea what you are going to do if you don't get "everything else." No idea.
And that's what people don't understand: Why hasn't the guild come up with a clear, realistic bargaining position? Instead, it's as cacophonous as this comment board. And unfortunately, most people outside the guild just hear the loudest complainers, who are just in this fight for the seniority list. And they get the impression that every guild member is thinking, "I want the next guy to lose his job before I do."
So strategy and sympathy are out the window as far as the guild's concerned. It's unfortunate.
Try to come up with a real position and, like Crain's said, cut a deal on severance. And do it before the auction's over. If that doesn't happen, just bite the bullet. What are you waiting for? Really. What are you waiting for?
We are not being allowed to negotiate. There is no room for any kind of bargaining. It's his way or hit the highway. You're only taking an 8% cut, guild gets a 15% cut - almost double. But we're supposed to eat for your sake? Keep dreaming. You accuse guild members of not caring. You care, but only about yourselves.
Forget it. Listening to all of these accusations and bitterness, there is no way I would EVER vote to take the concessions. And from what my fellow guild members say, they're not either. We don't have to listen to your threats and bitching.
Disenchanted, you have no idea what you're talking about. How could you possibly know what the guild has presented and what it hasn't. You write as if we're sitting around with our thumbs up our butts doing nothing. We've been doing nothing BUT handing over proposals. They know exactly what's important to us and yet they've made no moves toward fair negotiation.
Union members' whining about the 15% cut is ludicrous. Non-union workers have not received any raises in two years. That's why your cut is more, union people. You make more. These cuts are just rolling you back to where we've been.
Journalist, we're well aware of how you're feeling. Nonetheless, these letters were sparked by a nudge from management. One, and it would have seemed likely. Two on the same day, all doubt is removed. It's a tired old ploy, and a waste of time.
I think it's insulting to say that employees - union or non - have been verbally incited by managers. I am a sensible person and have my own opinions about what's happening. We're all adults here and we were all qualified enough to be hired by this company at some point. We all have our own thoughts and opinions on what's going on.
Hey folks, it's the 11th hour. In a couple of days we could all find out that WE ARE OUT OF A JOB. Some will have an easier time finding suitable employment. Others may opt to do the unemployment thing. Whatever - it's your choice. But it all comes down to this, the inevitable. DO YOU WANT TO BE OUT OF A JOB? Maybe the big talkers company-wide who feel so strongly about their stance should have PUT THEIR MONEY WHERE THEIR MOUTH IS, like Jim Tyree. Of course they should have done that a while ago, since our backs are up against the wall now! Do we get what Tyree's trying to do? He is trying to bail us out! And who said 1 in 3 will lose their jobs? I want to see that in writing. Maybe that is another veiled threat. Is that mis-information?
Have you followed the newspaper industry in the past year, people? Ask the folks at the Rocky Mountain News in Colorado how they feel now about seniority or severance or a paycut. Oh, right, you can't. They're not there anymore.
Hey union AND non-union employees - if you dislike working for STNG so much - JUST LEAVE. No one is forcing you to stay.
I would like the chance to continue working at the paper. Will you let me have that chance?
Other than all agreeing to halt the personal attacks on each other, I can imagine one way we could clear up alot of bad blood between union and non-union pretty quickly... who is willing to post their info onto a list with your salary?? Then we can all see who is getting what. I am willing to bet the union folks will be blown away at how well some of their own are paid as well as how little the non-union folks make, even management. Those salaries are all from a day that is now gone, that company and it's industry is over and gone now.
The world today is competitive in a different way, holding onto the past is no way to move forward. Just like refusing to use a computer didn't keep the internet away.
It is just ugly all around.
To all my non-union comrades, you gotta realize it is not personal and about us, no matter how many petitions you create.
The union represented workers are making rational decisions. I believe they are just like a patient being told to amputate arms or legs to survive some health crisis. The patient refuses the treatment plan and chooses to take the risk of a higher quality of life, even if it is shorter lived. (they get a choice, we were treated without consent!)
We may also get lucky, there may be a scenario D) NONE OF THE ABOVE... but I am not betting on it.
What everyone seems to forget is this is so complicated by the fact that Tyree is going to an AUCTION this week. We can all imagine that if he doesn't know the unions are going to come along, he is unlikely to raise his bid in the face of competition past whatever financial ceiling his money guys have advised him to stick to. We all better pray his bid holds to win the auction and becomes the one that owns us all after Wed.
After watching the new movie "Capitalism" last night in the theater, I was reminded just how big and how old this game is. It is much bigger than our jobs and our little company. If anything, I am still most disappointed at the lack of solutions for getting us out of here.
Hmm, most of the nastiness around these blogs seems to always come from people speaking out of turn... in hast, full of emotion and with few facts.
The Trib (OCT 4th) has a good breakdown to bring everyone up to speed:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi…
"""""""
Current discussions, he said, have centered on how to adjust concessions to make the new contracts more palatable to workers without compromising flexibility or adding costs.
Halbreich wouldn't discuss specific details of the talks but said that "the company has come up with a couple of things" that would meet Tyree's terms.
"My job is to try to get the deal done," he added.
Tom Thibeault, executive director of the Chicago Newspaper Guild, declined to discuss the talks, other than to confirm they were ongoing and to say he is "hopeful."
There is no hard deadline for gaining worker concessions after a bankruptcy court hearing earlier determined that Tyree couldn't immediately abandon his offer if his demands were not met by Sept. 29, """""""
I am a suburban non-guild reporter and I say to hell with management and their lies AND to the guild and its ambivalence toward the rest of us. The unions never attempted to bring us into the fold, never gave a crap about the cuts and indignity we suffered at the hands of greedy, highly unethical managers. We're supposed to be in the business of delivering the truth. Is anybody up to that task?
Delivering the truth? The 10th floor at Orleans and their sycophants in the burbs have been spinning fantasies so long they live in a virtual world unto themselves.
Case in point: How about the vaunted turnaround artist Cyrus Freidheim who somebody on one of these blogs said left with a payout of $1.4M. Small change for him. And he's the guy who had armies of consultants crawling all over the ST asking questions like: "If you're selling 4 copies of the ST at a certain location why don't you just stack it with 5 copies?" Does that make any sense to anyone with even the most basic knowledge of publishing?
And the "turnaround arist" rep. Do you know how he turned around Chiqitua Banana before he made his last score at the ST? Very simple. He just funnelled huge sums of cash to the various Central American paramilitaries who are in a perpetual war with their governments. The paramilitaries then freed up the bananas for shipment to the US and used the $$ for arms shipments.
Hey, along the way - and directly because of this "blood money" scheme thousands of innocent civilians were killed in the ensuing slaughter. Hell, he was almost indicted by the DOJ because of this. And he was vetted by the board? Give me a break.
I remember taking the company mandated "ethics test" and seeing his visage looming almost like an Orwellian vision before you started the test as he rambled on and on about transparency and ethics etc. I almost threw up.
I mean, really, are you guys like a collective Rip Van Winkle i.e. did you just suddenly wake up and realize what kind of management you've been dealing with?
It's all about that "last score" for those guys because, frankly, there aren't many left. And if they can get it on your backs...hey, you're expendable, non-union or union. It makes little difference.
As a former Herald-News employee and union officer, the names I recognize from the list are not "mid-level managers." Gracious no! You think there's that many editorial employees left there??!! No, the people who signed the petition are mostly ad reps and production people.
I agree with Ted - without knowing the actual #s but it's clear to me that editorial across the FV publications has been so gutted already - that it's virtually impossible to put out any editorial product...print, web etc. that would even resemble news.
I had the privilege of working with Ted. At least he had the brains to get out before they fired him. And, he was and always will be in my estimation one of the best journalists I've ever worked with. And, I never considered him as working for "me." We worked together. His departure was a big loss for the company. But in terms of management he was merely just a name and a # on a spreadsheet. It's sad....no, that's the wrong word. I meant pathetic.
ALL BUSINESS ARE INTERESTED IN THE BOTTOM LINE. That's how they work. What's the big news here? Yeah they want to make a profit. Look what losing money has done. This is so lame to bring up. If Tyree didn't want to make a profit why would he bother at all?
Demands? Yes demands. Last time I looked when you own a company you can make demands. Don't like it then get another job!
Promises? What promises? The only thing promised that I see is that there is a chance the paper survives. After that......well at least there's a paper. They got to have some people. Who are those people gonna be? Who knows? Don't act like you know Veritas.
"If we allow these billionaires to reduce us to frightened yes-men, then we are setting a precedent." Seems to me that what you say sets up the same damn scenario you are accusing the company of! Talking about "you will be fired". How the hell do you know? Has Tyree called you up and given you a list? What you say is full of fright and you can't look me in the eye and tell me that what you say is true because you don't know what is true!
I work 12 hrs. sometimes and don't get paid overtime. My manager lets me have a loose schedule so there are days I work less so it balances out. I don't mind because I have a job. I have health insurance. I'm paying my bills.
I'll take my chances with Tyree. I only hope that the unions haven't taken away that chance.
Relax. No matter what, Tyree is interested in the company. He and Jeremy are creating diversions to keep our minds off of what they're doing. Crooked deals? Bonuses? Sweetheard machinations? YOU BET.
As a union member, I am not totally satisfied with the union, but it does offer some protection and workers need all the protection they can get. Otherwise, we'd all be working for nothing like they do in China.
When and if this passes, I implore non-union members to join us. Let's all organize so that they cannot steal from us. I'm serious. Think about it.
Meanwhile, Tyree and his ilk are not walking away from this. Take a close, careful look at what's happening. The formats for the papers are changing. They're planning for the future. Reps and reporters all got new phones. Why bother if we're going under?
What they're worried about is the competition of a second bidder and as I type this is happening. Unlike Tyree, this man is being hush-hush because he doesn't want the publicity. His plan is to swoop in and undercut Tyree. I understand that if he does win the auction he's going to ax Jeremy and some of these other bamboozlers right away. He's a newspaper man at heart and he hates to see "the suits" screwing everything up.
Keep your fingers crossed.
And Napeville, do you even realize how condescending you sound?
Chasbo: Henry Ford - a capitalist's capitalist - said "You must pay your workers enough to buy you product."
When you reduce the workers' pay, it creates a domino affect. When the middle class can't afford necessities, much less luxuries, the entire economy will fail. Middle class supports everyone else - the rich and the poor. Screwing the middle class is like crapping in your own bed. No one wins.
The larger picture here is you have to give workers hope. Cutting their salaries in an economy where people are losing their homes and not able to pay their medical bills hurts everyone. It also creates resentment. If they want to keep chopping away, fine, I'll go on Medicaid and apply for food stamps. When the middle class is gone, the rich will have no choice but to support me.
The only way Tyree and his gang can figure out how to increase profits is depriving the very workers who can make the paper great. That's not good business sense. You figure out how to improve the product and its delivery. You don't screw the very people who can help you achieve that goal. He's going about it ass backwards.
You are assuming that you will be one of the "chosen few" and that's a real gamble you're taking. Sounds like you've been with the company a while, and that's the fat they'll be wanting to cut. You'll be replaced with some greenhorn who will work for half of what you're getting.
So, throw your lot in with Tyree. But your fear-invoking diatribe doesn't convince me.
Read more about "Naperville" here, http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/gathe… .
Fingers Crossed: Interesting. Naperville is alright in my books. Sorry I misjudged.
He's absolutely right about the "micro-managers" at Aurora. The Aurora Beacon sucks big time and has declining subscriptions and these are the bozos they put in charge of the SCN newsgroup. Preposterous. What are these "executives" thinking? Seems like the biggest ass-lickers get the prime jobs.
We call them the Newspaper Nazis and Big Brother. You can't fart without Nagel or "Witchipoo" listening in. Talk about dispensible.
papers:
Thanks for that link, it really helps inform! I especially like the idea about what is going on in Portland. If "body and soul" is correct in a union bidder being able to win the auction, then maybe our company can become a good exercise in developing the model further.
Anybody who believes that the structure in Portland is a great step forward in developing a viable newspaper model should have their hopes squashed with this sentence in that piece: "Among the happy results: a recent round of buyouts may make layoffs unnecessary." You will always have, by and large, the best people leaving whenever there are buyouts instead of layoffs. The veteran jounalists with years of experience are generally the ones that will go. Many are just a few years from the point where they would have retired anyway. So they leave and so goes all their experience. Others are so good at their job that they know they can easilly sign book deals or find other very desirable places to work. Some, even in this economy, will find employment at a major publication. The quality of the paper is much more likely to be preserved when job cutbacks are achieved through layoffs instead of buyouts. Many of you have seen some of your collogues take buyouts. You know this is true. At this time, it is critically important that every step that is taken by any newspaper results in as good a product being preserved as possible. Those who try to take shortcuts to please the unions are far less likely to survive. In the long run, there is a severe risk that most union members would be worse off. If the publication is shut-down because the departure of the best journalists causes fewer readers than every employee will be out of a job. It is short-sighted for unions to push buyouts. So that certainly doesn't say much for the paper in Portland, Maine.
"When you reduce the workers' pay, it creates a domino affect. When the middle class can't afford necessities, much less luxuries, the entire economy will fail. Middle class supports everyone else - the rich and the poor. Screwing the middle class is like crapping in your own bed. No one wins."
That's all well and good. But that is at the macro level. As you surely know, salery cuts at STMG are not going to make a sliver in the economy. Only a minuscule fraction of a percent of everyone employed in the region works at the company. When management makes decisions, it needs to be about what is best for the company. Your argument is like going to an unemployed family in poverty and complaining they aren't spending much money. It would be like saying to them:
"When people don't buy products the businesses that make them will go through tough times. They will employ fewer workers and spend less money. So by severly cutting back on your purchases you are making it less likely that businesses will expand and be able to hire more people. It means it will take longer for you to be able to find jobs. You are hurting your own situation by not using every cent you can find to buy things, regardless of whether you are risking hunger or being unable to afford your medicine."
Obviously, nobody is going to tell that to people who are unemployed and in poverty. They need to make decisions about what is best for them. That is exactly the same thing with a business. Besides, the guild seems to have already accepted the fact that their wages will remain reduced from the previous level.
Yes, Papers, this is how it is at a company that is not teetering on the edge of chapter 7 bankruptcy.
I guess everyone at STNG is allowed to let their inhabitions run wild while blogging. Say what you want, hurt whoever you want to hurt. Blame others for our situation, throw management under the bus, blame the union for there ignorance, blame sales people for being fat and lazy if it makes you feel better about yourself. I think it's time for everyone to shut up and do your damn job. Non-union people do not have a vote so be quiet now. Union people need to take a long hard look at the possible outcome of a "no" vote. Are you 100% willing to take the risk that you will have no health care coverage? How many Guild employment opportunities are there these days? I'm surprised the union's second bidder hasn't surfaced, yet. And, as for you employees who are sooooo brave to bash your manager or publisher on this blog, shame on you. By your standard, no manager, publisher or supervisor would ever be adequate to lead. Taking cheap shots at those you work with is absolutely pathetic. I'm guessing you are probably not well liked either. Believe it or not, the very people you bash are the very ones doing what they can to keep your job safe - especially since you are not making your goals most likely. If they had the power to hire you, they certainly have the power to fire you, so if you are still employed, some appreciation should exist for them, because your performance most likely ain't cuttin' it. Final message to everyone: rather than continue this dysfunctional, nonproductive bashing of our fellow workers whom, I believe, we all respected just a few months ago, give someone a lifesaver, or a Coke and a smile! I thought we were family..............
Hey, I was "management" for a while....and I was pretty well-liked. "Family"....what family? This whole situation has devolved into Darwiniasm. And there ain't no way around that.....Coke and a smile won't solve anything. And Coke is bad for you anyway. Stick with water or something more organic.
If they do decide to cut 35 percent of the staff company-wide, I'll take my chances. I am not a "hotshot reporter." As a matter of fact, I'm not even a reporter. I've been in this business way too long to think of myself as a "hotshot." I don't take myself that seriously. I'm in the trenches, grinding through shifts like everyone else. I've seen a lot of people come and go. Usually, the people who think they are "indispensable" are the most expendable.
Supposedly, I'm the coward here because I'm not backing the union in its fight against management. Non-union people are afraid of management, or so they say. Well, guess what? The union has engaged in just as many scare tactics as the managers have in this situation. I'm skeptical and cynical about the aims of both sides. I trust neither side. Basically, management and the union are in a battle for my soul. I try to stick up for my own interests as best as I can.
To tell you the truth, I'm not afraid of more layoffs. I've lived through them before. If I'm good enough at my job, I presume I will keep my job. If I'm not good at my job, I'll be let go. That's how it is. I accept those terms.
The union poster who responded to my earlier comment on this blog seems to have a great fear of layoffs. He or she wrote: "Have you ever used company medical insurance? Have you taken too many days off? Ever make a mistake? Ever get your boss angry? Ever made a VIP outside the company angry?"
To answer your questions (in order): Yes, no, yes, yes and no. If I lose my job, I don't believe it will be because I answered "yes" to three of those questions. I just don't have that type of paranoia.
AN EXCERPT FROM THE NEWSROOM'S UNION:
Here’s how silly it’s gotten: A Sun-Times manager has been calling editorial employees into his office one by one to relate the fable about the ugliest baby in the orphanage. When that baby is finally adopted, the manager explains, he doesn't try to insist that the family provide him with his own room.
No, but the baby does want to be able to leave the orphanage wearing a diaper.
The editorial employees of the Chicago Sun-Times, Joliet Herald News, Lake County News-Sun and Pioneer Press understand the seriousness of our situation. We've proved time and time again that we will make sacrifices to keep our company going — be it pay cuts or buyouts for colleagues that increased the workloads of those remaining.
This time, though, management isn't giving us the opportunity to bargain and “own” our own sacrifices. The demand is to gut our contracts, period. Leave the covers of the contracts and rip out all the pages in between. That’s the Tyree group’s plan.
As journalists, we've made careers of questioning and looking below the surface. We should know when we're getting half-truths and bum rushes.
Let’s review some facts:
• U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Sontchi last week noted that the sale doesn't have to close until early December. He said if Tyree walks away he could be liable for not acting fairly and in good faith. He could also risk losing a $500,000 deposit and more than $500,000 he has already spent in due diligence.
• STMG has extended protections to the Tyree group, the so-called “lone bidder,” that includes $1 million in breakup fees and expense reimbursement should STMG choose another bidder.
• Halbreich says the company continues to burn cash, but has yet to acknowledge that STMG boosted its cash balance by $1.9 million in August. The 15 percent cuts in Guild members’ pay and benefits implemented in April are still in effect, and are making an impact.
• Halbreich and current STMG management will stay in place under the Tyree group’s ownership. The group has bid for the company at liquidation prices. Whose interests are being promoted — those of employees or those of management?
A staff member in our newsroom had a heart attack about 3 weeks ago - right after everything started hitting the fan. Quadruple bypass. Part of this is due to the stress, 6 weeks of unpaid furlough and non-union people tryng to lay guilt trips.
For those of you out there who are dissing the union, we have had to take 6 weeks of unpaid furlough while you had to take one. We get a 15% cut while you get an average of about 5%, depending on your pay. We have to take an awful lot of crap from people who try to make us feel guilty. Not one of you felt guilty about our 6 week unpaid furlough, so don't give me crap and keep your guilt trips to yourselves.
And I'm not leaving. You leave. I'm going to fight. There are so many lies being told at the upper levels. I don't believe a word they say. Keep your letters and your guilt tactics to yourselves.
NAPERVILLE: I don't know you - never worked for you - but it seems you were a good manager. I imagine the blogger moralizing about employees taking pot shots at management was one of the bad managers, and there are many as I'm sure you've witnessed.
THIS LINE ESPECIALLY CRACKS ME UP:
"Believe it or not, the very people you bash are the very ones doing what they can to keep your job safe."
Right, not the managers I know, friend.
Related Stories
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How a Little Pig Lipstick Saved the Sun-Times
After a grueling standoff, the union agrees to let the Sun-Times Media Group’s new owners do anything they want—almost.
- Oct 15, 2009
