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Another overtime lawsuit: Ex-Montgomery Advertiser SE sues Gannett

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Baron Scicluna, Feb 16, 2010.

  1. Rockbottom

    Rockbottom Well-Known Member

    IIRC, didn't the plaintiff in this case have some other altercations in the newsroom that might have sped up his departure? Like, and again IIRC, punching another employee?

    rb
     
  2. HejiraHenry

    HejiraHenry Well-Known Member

    Wanda Lloyd. Sheesh.
     
  3. Point of Order

    Point of Order Active Member

    Writing for a paper - use whatever nickname you want
    Suing someone - use your legal name
     
  4. Point of Order

    Point of Order Active Member

    FYI, the suit was filed on Oct. 9, 2009, less than a year after he was fired.
     
  5. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    I had no idea that was LC.
     
  6. Mizzougrad96

    Mizzougrad96 Active Member

    Sometimes someone has to let you know what your rights are. This is such commonplace in the journalism business that most of us just accept it and move on.

    If anyone considers a class action, PM me, I'd sign on and I'm sure a lot of people would as well.
     
  7. JayFarrar

    JayFarrar Well-Known Member

    Here's the thing. Newspapers have abused their newsroom employees since the dawn of publishing. Period.
    The compact was — don't complain and you'll have job security for as long as you like in a job that you love.
    Now the job security has gone away and people are filing lawsuits to get their money back. I suspect this is the tip of the iceberg.
     
  8. Steak Snabler

    Steak Snabler Well-Known Member

    If I ever tried to pull something like this, the trial would last about three minutes. After I went through all the undocumented hours I worked during football season, the paper would counter will all the hours we basically sat around the sports department and played grab-ass during June and July.
     
  9. deskslave

    deskslave Active Member

    Did they give you work to do? If you didn't have work to do, but were expected to be there anyway, that's their problem.
     
  10. leo1

    leo1 Active Member

    you can only have a class of plaintiffs not a class of defendants. so you and your colleagues at your old shop could sue the newspaper, or you may be able to gang up on a chain.

    also, the rules changed a few years ago making it extraordinarily difficult to attain class status for an action although it's not impossible. people also forget that in a class action lawsuit by and large only the attorneys win when they get their fees and costs. i'm generalizing but the plaintiffs almost always end up with something nominal.

    you're better off suing individually.
     
  11. dog428

    dog428 Active Member

    It's not just the job security that has gone away. It's the general feeling that you're in it together.

    When newspapers started selling out to large corporations and the goal became appeasing the stock holders instead of honoring the values of the profession, the newsroom people changed our values as well. Where we once were willing to let a couple of hours slide here or there or not worry so much about losing a vacation day or two, we now want our money and what we're entitled to.

    It's the me-first environment created by the company.

    It would be rather comical if this is what finally bankrupts a few of these chains -- their own greed doing them in. Poetic. Be even sweeter if the paper's employees could take ownership of the individual newspapers as payment.
     
  12. novelist_wannabe

    novelist_wannabe Well-Known Member

    Purely speculation here -- and granted, that might not be the most productive thing here -- but, in addition to the possiblity of pursuing a settlement, he may have been denied unemployment, which is a standard employer move when they fire someone.
     
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