A little more information about severance payouts

The Guild has been getting several questions about severance payouts for the employees who were laid off last week. After meeting with Star HR director Olivia LaMelle, this is the best information I am able to provide.

First, for the duration of your severance, you will continue to be paid on the Star’s regular paycheck cycle – that is, every other Friday. If you have 8 weeks of severance coming to you, that would be the equivalent of four more paychecks. The money won’t be coming in a lump sum.

Second, the Star’s next payday – both for those laid off and those still employed here — is  July 8. For those laid off, that check should include not only your regular pay but the compensation you’re entitled to for any unused vacation or personal leave time.

Third, this July 8 check – and all those that follow — will be free of the deductions you were accustomed to seeing in the past — things like the parking fee, the newspaper subscription and items you elected to have deducted. The exception, of course, is taxes.

Fourth, the Star has concluded that, based on their lengthy service at the paper and the terms of a previous Guild contracts they worked under, the following people are entitled to more than the typical 26 week limit on severance payments:

• Marily Cooley
• Michael Davis
• Barbara Hoffman
• Kevin Lane
• Russ Leonard
• Alan Petersime
• Judy Wolf

LaMelle said she hopes to be able to give the seven people listed above an idea of their exact length of severance by the July 8 paycheck. If you have questions, I urge you to call LaMelle directly at 444-8165.

You can always call, Guild president Bobby King, at 444-6089 or 509-9026. I may not know the answer to your question, but I will do my best to chase it down.