Chicago Sun Times lays off its entire photo staff

Well, pretty much the entire business model with centralized desks is getting rid of (many) higher-salaried people at individual papers and then doing a mass hiring of much cheaper labor for the centralized desk.

 

What's particularly disgusting is when a newsroom lays off a bunch of editors, then offers them the same duties as lesser-paid contract workers. No insurance, no pension contributions, no sick days, no vacations. And pretty soon you notice that half the night staff is contract workers, and the newspaper is exploiting the situation.

 

Best wishes for everyone who was laid off today.

 

You can't? That shit's been going on for ages. That's how some of these places stay in business and/or turn a profit.

Hell, even sports teams do that. So-and-so has a breakout year, asks for a 300 percent raise in a new deal... see ya, we can't afford that.

 

Sure.

As long as management has the leverage, that will continue. Getting the cheapest labor available is right at the core of free enterprise economics. Got laid off from one position and before I could even pack my stuff and get out the door, editor says "I'll call you next week about freelancing."

 

This is more or less what was the beginning of the end for me. Before I got off the Titanic our paper had let all its photographer positions fade away through retirement and not be refilled. It was decided by the dipshit brother-in-law general manager "Oh, the reporters can take their own pictures. That's what we do at our weeklys." Not only were you supposed to cover an event and shoot it, but then came along the idea to shoot video, too. The actual story you were writing became number three on the priority list.

It's actually worked out pretty well for one of the photographers that retired. They use him on a freelance basis. He gets more per picture than he made working full time, and if it's something he doesn't want to shoot he just says no.

 

Businesses have done this with the janitorial crew, truck drivers, etc., for years.

 

My best friend's husband is some kind of surveyor/map maker/engineer kind of person. Very technical. Same thing happened to him. Thirteen years with the same company - see ya! ... Oh, but we need some work done. When can you start freelancing?

Journalism stinks, but it's hardly the only industry that does this sort of thing.

 

I don't understand why anyone laid off or fired like this, or having a job terminated, would turn right back around and freelance for the same company.

Needing money is one thing, sure. But its nuts to go from a job and regular pay to peanuts because the company believes you're a sucker for loyalty and will want $50 for almost four hours covering a football game.

 

This isn't just something the company believes. This is something that journalists put on full display every day. The company does this because the company can.

 

If the photographers were smart (and devious) they would either refuse assignments or agree to accept them from the Sun-Times then hose them.

As long as there is a willing pool of freelancers, it's no skin off the Sun-Times' nose to do this.

 

Photogs should boycott the work for a month. See how that flies.