Breaking points

This is absurd. What benefit are you receiving for agreeing to this? The only non-compete clause I can think of in any walk of life is in pro wrestling, and those were built into guaranteed contracts in which you were paid to sit home during the non-compete period. I don't see how you can be compelled to sign if you don't have a contract right? Mind boggling.

 

In a lot of markets, no-competes are in contracts for TV and radio personalities. But I had never heard a newspaper trying it until today.

And, no, none of us have a contract. I don't even understand why this is an issue unless the company has been having a rash of people going to competitors in the areas in which they own truckloads of papers.

Seeing as Kansas is a right to work state, I'm curious as to whether or not it's even enforceable here.

 

I guess I should be fortunate that it wouldn't work where I live. There's not another daily newspaper within a 100-mile radius from Twin Falls. There is a TV station, but they pay worse than the paper. That's certainly not an option when I leave the paper.

 

Unless they're going to refuse to offer you severance if you don't sign, I'd gather everyone together, walk into the publisher's office, and simulataneously rip the non-compete in half.

And if they are offering severance in that case, get the thing in writing, and try to get another job (hard, I know) before you sign it.

And if they're just trying to get you to not go to a fellow competitor, without offering any incentive, screw them.

 

The wrestling non-competes started in the late 90s when you had the WWF vs. WCW wars. There were wrestlers jumping the company from one night to the next (Lex Luger, Rick Rude, Madusa), just to screw up the other company. They started doing non-competes so that way they could plan for the future.

 

I can point to a number of things that eventually led to my eventual escape. I'm still pretty young, only 26, but I left my job this past January after putting in five-plus years of service to my hometown paper, during which time I was never hired full-time or was given a raise.

When I started I was nothing more than a sports clerk, answering phones, helping news with late obits, so on and so forth. I was in college and I didn't mind. I naive enough to believe the experience was getting me somewhere. I remember hiring on in December and immediately being called the day I accepted the job to come in because some guys were short on hours. A week later the holiday schedule came out and I was scheduled for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, New Years Day. That was a rude awakening.

After three months on the job one of the prep writers left to write for a local magazine in town. I was asked to pickup the slack. I was eager and welcomed the chance to get out of the office. I didn't expect to get hired full time and never said a word about it. In the summer a hire was made to replace the writer and I went back to answering phones and occasionally did some stories when time allowed.

After another 8 months or so that writer left for another job. I still had a year of school left but approached my SE about the job. He said that the publisher wouldn't allow me to be full time until I had a degree. So once again I picked up the slack, basically becoming a full time prep writer, only without the benefits and making $7.00 an hour.

As summer approached another hire was made. Kid about my age, but with a degree. He finished out the high school baseball season and plunged right into legion ball (its huge in my area). He wasn't at our shop for long though. I had asked off for two weeks to take a trip outside the country in July. When I returned he had been let go due to cutbacks (my favorite was the publisher asking him to finish the feature he was working on and they paid him freelance...about 30 bucks). So once again I assumed the role of full time prep writer without being full time.

He was never replaced and I continued on, being the good soldier. I graduated and approached the powers that be about being full time. I was told it couldn't happen and then I asked about a raise, also told couldn't happen. I explained that I had worked there for 3-plus years and felt that I had gone above and beyond my job description, but no dice. So I continued on. I worked 30-35 hours a week for the next two or so years with no benefits at 7 bucks an hour. Sure I could have left, but I genuinely liked the staff and this is where I wanted to work, just full time. My family lived in this town and I kept hoping for that full time.

So in November of this past one of news clerks had left for a full time and a new one was hired. One day I struck up a conversation with her and learned she was making a $1.50 more an hour than I was, even though she had just started. She wrote no stories. I believe her main job was answering phones, typing the weather and dealing with any late obits. I was hacked off. I made my decision at that point that I would make my escape.

I finished out the year and turned in my two weeks after the first of January. When asked why I told them I had worked there for 5-plus years at 7 bucks an hour, waiting for a full time job that never came. I also didn't like the fact new clerks were being hired at a higher pay scale than me and the fact I was doing full time work while still only getting part time pay.

I still have a good relationship with them surprisingly and they call me a lot wanting me to do freelance which I do because I enjoy the writing. However, I don't think I would ever go back even though I was never officially full time.

 

Yeah, you got screwed over, especially after they hired another clerk when you had your degree.

Some of the stuff, to play devil's advocate, may not have been upper management's fault, if your paper belonged to a corporate chain. But at the same time, if you've done a good job for them, they should have offered you some sort of FT gig.

 

Mine was the realization that the top guy in my office would always think of me as an inexperienced and uneducated moron.

The details aren't relevant, but up until a certain point I felt like there was a future if I chose a certain path, but it came to light it wouldn't happen.

It revealed itself one day in one of those employer-employee meetings that are supposed to make you feel like shit, and it did.

It took me awhile to leave after that, but that's when I realized life at that job was over. The Peace Corps application process is about a year long and the best I can say is I didn't strangle any of my supervisors in that time.

Seeing the look on that guy's face when I quit is one of my favorite memories.

 

Hitting a certain age and realizing that I didn't have a partner, let alone a family of my own, because the demands of my job made it impossible to attempt to establish any type of significant relationship with the opposite sex.

Covering Super Bowls, Olympics and Final Fours meant nothing if I came home to an empty place for the rest of my life.

 

Depressing thread...and yes, this is a tough profession on families...I've luckily found a niche where I'm able to do a lot of work from home and make my own schedule...still there are nights I'd rather be having movie night with my kids than watching high school baseball.

 

Well said.

 

Hey Littlehurt thanks for sharing. I have been through a very similar story, though I was evenautally hired FT it has not been all it seemed cracked up to be. You may have been blssed to get out hwen you did. I've seen your story happen to a lot of guys our age at sister papers or competitors in the area so your tale really hit home for me. Thanks.