Category Archives: Layoffs/Buyouts

We lost 14 Guild members over a 2-day period, and almost all of them were duespayers. On Friday we will begin the process of making sure those names are removed from the payroll deduction list. Guild officers also have begun to dissect the layoff list to check it against seniority guidelines as outlined by our contract, and to ensure that severance is paid out without any tricks or traps.

I want to personally express my condolences to those who were terminated. Some, I got to say goodbye to over the phone or in person today. Others, I did not. Those who are “left behind” are at a loss to come to grips with the unnecessary cuts and at the same time are skeptical of our own future. No matter what excellence we produce journalistically, anyone’s number could come up the next time corporate wants to slash payroll.

I also want to again publicly express my dismay that James Keough, VP of HR, on this day of all days, asked me this afternoon when the Guild was ready to resume negotiations. I told him we are in a state of shock; our contract bargaining team took a hit. We lost news researcher Sylvia Halladay, who was a devoted, dutiful, irreplaceable record-keeper whose meticulous notes kept management accountable for over five years. Her attention to detail made her an absolutely top-notch Guild secretary. She was also a vital secretary on the contract negotiation team, and we cannot continue until we find a replacement. Holding an election fror Syl’s replacement will be an even more burdensome task as we lost Renee Petrina, an up-and-coming Guild member who co-coordinated our June 30 contract vote so ably; and Michelle Watson, a steward, was the E-inkling and print Inkling copy editor and yet another wise hand who attended EVERY bargaining session during contract talks and was committed to making the Star a great workplace.

We’ll have more in coming days as we try to make adjustments. Wishing everybody the best —

Tom Spalding
Guild president

Based on an e-mail all of us Gannett properties received last week, we expect some bad news to strike the newsroom by Thursday, with the possibility (based on reports on various blogs) that some employees could receive word of a layoff as early as this evening. Your Guild has tried to become part of the process, including requesting that the actual number of layoffs be reduced by requesting that the Indy Star “count” staffers who had already planned to exit. We also asked for details in advance, but were told that we will have to ferret that information out on our own. We intend to do precisely that, and you can help by letting us know what you hear.

Also, this afternoon Guild president Tom Spalding sent the following letter to Indy Star VP/human resources James Keough:

This is an information request filed on behalf of the members of the Indianapolis News Guild Local 34070. We are seeking the following information as soon as possible:

1. The names and titles of all Guild-covered employees whose jobs are being terminated by July 9, 2009 as part of the layoffs announced last week by Bob Dickey. You are welcome to provide those to us at this e-mail address, individually, or to me by cell phone (340-7836) after each of the affected workers is notified.
2. The approximate total amount of savings that these cuts of Guild members will generate.
3. The manner in which the company intends to pay out severance. To remind you, our contract calls for one week of pay for each year of seniority in the event of layoff. New Gannett spokeswoman Robin Pence confirmed to Gannettoid in an e-mail that the company has hired Total Management Solutions to handle severance payments for this round of layoffs.

Like before, when the dust settles the Guild intends to be heavily involved — both in ensuring seniority is followed but also staying in immediate contact with our coworkers who are let go. Guild officers plan to meet Thursday afternoon to discuss if there’s a way to mitigate the damage.

Meanwhile, we know many of you have angst, and we sought to quantify that angst. Consider these ugly statistics:

• Aug. 15, 2008: The first official company announcement of layoffs. Layoff day occurred Aug 19.
• Oct. 28, 2008: Another announcement of layoffs. Layoff day occurred Dec. 3, about five weeks later.
• Jan. & Apr. 2009: Furlough votes for 1Q and 2Q respectively. We were threatened with layoffs if we didn’t agree to the unpaid furloughs.
• Beginning of June, 2009: July layoffs were leaked on Gannett Blog. That’s about five weeks from when they are to actually occur.

So, there have been about 11 weeks total within the past 42 weeks that we’ve been in the middle of being threatened with being laid off. That’s 1/4th of the time. That’s a significant percentage of the past several months that we’ve been right in the middle of being threatened with being laid off. That’s not a good thing.

From a guild perspective, we’re at a historically bad moment right now — a voted-down contract June 30 and a company that has threatened 15% pay cuts if negotiations go to impasse, with layoffs going on at the same time. Really, it’s a crisis on several fronts. Guild membership, however, is at a historically high level – the highest percentage in the past five years, possibly one of the highest percentages in the past 20 years, and quite a few people have been very active with the union. We have a healthy guild in extraordinarily unhealthy times. This guild would have had a harder time weathering this storm several years ago. We thank you for your solidarity.

Guild officers met with James Keough of Human Resources on Thursday afternoon to offer to determine whether any Guild members wanted to volunteer for the upcoming layoffs in order to preserve the jobs of co-workers. The Guild did this for the layoffs in December. Four long-time employees volunteered to be laid off to allow less senior employees to keep their jobs. The company informed the Guild it is not interested in volunteers for the upcoming layoffs.

The membership of Indy News Guild 34070 voted overwhelmingly Tuesday and Wednesday to approve the 2nd quarter furlough, a one-week stint of unpaid time off. The voting turnout was over 80% and the “yes” votes occurred in landslide fashion. We were impressed and appreciative that you made the effort and we hope that this is the last time we’ll have to vote to lose a week’s salary. We made it very clear to management that our union has made a significant sacrifice to help the company. Just so you know, our parent organization, the Communications Workers of America/The Newspaper Guild, endorsed our vote “yes.”

Please schedule those new “off” days if you have not done so. Please come armed with questions to Thursday’s sit-down sessions with Publisher Michael Kane. Please read e-inklings closely so you can stay up to date as the Guild bargaining team prepares for a return to negotiations in mid-April. Please help us make the Star workplace the best it can be.