Media General goes to furloughs

Probably? No, it is illegal. You cannot work for free. Period.

Now, I'm guessing desk_dude here is suggesting that he would come in, work a normal shift, then take his furlough day some other time. But while that's perfectly legal, it's also continuing to enable the chain to screw its employees nine ways from Sunday.

It sucks to have to say this, but we've got to get over this notion of taking pride in the newspaper. It's a job. It's not a calling anymore. The people in charge do. not. care. about the quality of the product. They just don't.

 

If the person covering a particular beat is off on a furlough day and something big happens on the beat, guess what?

It Doesn't Get In The Paper.

Sure, that makes the paper look bad. Maybe they shouldn't put so many people on furlough.

 

yes. we should make it as easy as possible for those poor bastards who only are earning 15-20 percent on our backs. i mean shit, those folks' trips to spain don't pay for themselves.

 

Or as someone else told me, "That's why we have AP."

 

Sort of goes against the concept of focusing on local.

 

So does getting rid of the people who produce local content.

 

If you think too long about how the business got to this point - and how many of those decision-makers still have jobs - your head will explode.

 

So Virginia fires its basketball coach today while Media General papers are trying to squeeze those furloughs in before the end of the month. Anybody know if there were issues with coverage in Charlottesville or Richmond? Both sites posted stories by the U.Va. beat writer, were they scrambling to call people in?

 

Richmond's UVa writer filed something.

 

I've been told at my shop that the furloughs are negotiable. If the furlough day, is, say, a Friday, you just need to take one paid day off for that period. Doesn't matter what day it is.

I have no idea if that's legal or not, but I do know we'd never get the paper out every day if we didn't do this.

I'm guessing the U Va. writers will just move the furlough day to later in the week.

Let's say the economy turns around again sometime soon and jobs start appearing in other career fields. What would possess a journalist to stick around after all they've been through in the last 18 months?

I'm living a nightmare, and I'm certainly not alone.