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•9-5-08 ProJo Layoff Q&A: What We Do and Don't Know Q: How will layoffs work? A: The Company says it will follow the contract. The contract says the least senior people must be laid off first and that part-timers are junior to full-timers. Q: Does this mean part-timers will be laid off first? A: Maybe. The Guild and the Company have identified two contractually consistent ways to implement layoffs. Method A: Start with the least senior people and work up. This would hit part-timers first. Advantage for the company: there would be no bumping, because only the least senior people are laid off. Disadvantage to the company: the company could lose people in jobs they don't want to cut. Method B: Identify the jobs the company considers to be over staffed. The least senior person in the eliminated job could bump to a position they are competent to perform. The bumped employee could also bump to another position. Advantage to the company: Cuts can be targeted to specific classifications. Disadvantage to company: Bumping can be extremely disruptive and there would likely be disputes over pay rates for bumping employees and how to determine competence. ------------------ •9-4-08 ProJo Prepares for Layoffs; Worcester, Pawtucket & Woonsocket Also Cutting Staff
The other shoe of the Journal staff cuts is about to drop: ProJo management has informed the Guild that they are preparing to lay off staff. The Company has not identified the extent and areas of the cuts. The Guild hopes, but can't promise, to provide members with more details by the end of next week. Under the recently completed buyout program,22 employees will depart. In the local's Worcester unit, the Telegram & Gazette has announced it is seeking to cut 14 to 17 newsroom positions out of 127 news department jobs. These reductions follow three previous cuts this year that eliminated seven newsroom jobs earlier this year. The T&G also laid off 17 Guild-represented circulation department workers. The T&G said the staff cuts will be accompanied by an elimination of zoned editions. Last week, RISN, the owners of the Woonsocket Call and Pawtucket Times informed the Guild they were seeking to cut up to eight positions between the two papers. Last year these northern Rhode Island papers eliminated half their jobs. -----------------------------------------------------------------------
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