Plain Dealer to cut 38 in newsroom

Good one. It's probably true.

 

If this gets to the layoff round, this is where a union's seniority rules ought to prevail, assuming it has them. Not eager to see recent hires sent packing, especially Windhorst, who owns the Cavs beat. But it was the new regime that hired them despite the well-established climate of necessary (or at least desired) cutbacks. Those bosses should be the ones pink-slipped, for being so stupid and short-sighted.

Throwing out people whose only failing is that they were hired by a previous editor -- or have been around long enough to have gotten a few raises -- is a bullshit approach. Downsizing by letting openings go unfilled is the only humane way to do it. Beyond that, a union needs rules that prohibit cutting by sheer favoritism or targeting those making somewhat higher salaries.

 

Agreed wholeheartedly. To me, it just seems mean-spirited.

 

That sucks.

If you read the comments, the reason for all the cuts is because the paper's too LIBRUHL.

However, one gentleman too offense at one person who cancelled their subscription because of Connie Schultz, a supposed rabid left wing godless woman who wrote about her family too much. Or something.

DunlopReggie...if morons like you cancelled your subscription because of a COLUMNIST that only appeared a couple of times a week -- then you are BIGGER MORONS!

Did you morons ever think of just not reading her column? Do morons like you always watch TV shows you don't like? Go to restaurants you don't like?

Good God morons like you continue to highlight the stupidity in NE Ohio.

I don't know. Just struck me as funny.

 

Joe, it says in the story what their layoff criteria is:
"Layoff criteria will follow provisions of the union contract, which include job performance, special skills or abilities, adaptability to future work assignments and length of service."

 

Understandable.

I wasn't saying he deserved to go by any means.

But the man just had his beat ripped out of his hands without any real efforts to pad the act by the paper.

It was more an observation than a criticism.

But point taken.

 

So...non-union layoffs got health insurance, and the union layoffs don't? Isn't it the union's job to make sure stuff like that doesn't happen?

 

Branson is literally the friend of a friend and I've spoken to him on the phone a couple of times before. He's a good dude. I won't cast any opinions on his talent or ability because I've never paid attention much to his writing.
But the larger issue is — things are bad just about all over, if you're Branson, some nameless, faceless person grinding it out on the desk all day or just about anybody else in our business these days. Come to think of it, is there any industry (legitimate enterprises only) where there is job security these days?

 

That sounds like management can pretty much make it up as it goes along. Everyone the current bosses have hired is a top performer and oh-so-adaptable to future work assignments, with all sorts of "special" skills. Those hired by previous bosses or making too much money, not very adaptable, special or top-performing.

What d'ya want to bet?

 

As noted above, the new hires will be the safest.

Pluto undoubtedly is exempt .... the new Cavs writer might be exempt, too. (Not union members, I mean.)

If a highly paid columnist is forced out, it won't be Pluto.

 

Windhorst has what I believe is his first byline in the PD today.

George Thomas is on the Cavaliers beat for the ABJ, at least for now.

 

At least for awhile. ABJ is in the process of offering more buyouts. They're not going to be hiring anyone else if layoffs are a possibility, and there is no one else within the department to do it.