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Punchclock journalism?

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by ChrisMaza, Jul 26, 2011.

  1. DanOregon

    DanOregon Well-Known Member

    Yeah - working at a newspaper, it can be kind of hard to figure out what a reporter has been up to...
    Anytime a manager is spending time trying to "up" the documentation of staff, they are asking employees to put bullets in their gun.
     
  2. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    If a clueless publisher were a reason to quit, who would be left in the biz?
     
  3. ChrisMaza

    ChrisMaza Member

    By dock pay I guess I more mean lower our hours by sayijng "Well, you're not using this time to a standard that I find to be constructive (ie. sitting in front of your computer) so I'm going to give you 35 hours a week instead of 40 and so on.
    As for documentation, it's unclear to this point exactly what they're looking for, but it appears he wants to know exactly where we're going, for what purpose, etc.
     
  4. As I said, this is a super control freak, and it sounds like he's looking for excuses to pay you less. Get him in your rearview mirrow. Now.
     
  5. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    Chris,

    I strongly recommend that you don't work past 5 p.m. and drive as little as possible while you search for a new job.
     
  6. FleetFeet

    FleetFeet Member

    Did you and I work in the same CNHI shop?
     
  7. Turtle Wexler

    Turtle Wexler Member

    Those of you who get less than the IRS rate per mile, you realize you can deduct what you're not getting on your taxes? If the rate is 55 cents per mile, but your company only pays 30 cents per mile, you can deduct that other 25 cents as a business expense not covered by your company.

    This requires really good recordkeeping on your part ... record dates/places/mileage, make a copy of the expense sheet you submit to the company, make a copy of the check/stub you get in return, hold onto this paperwork until tax time.

    It may seem like a pain, but you owe it to yourself to get your money.
     
  8. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    Yes, but don't you have to reach a certain percentage of your pay to be able to deduct that as an expense?
     
  9. nmsports

    nmsports Member

    No mileage pay. Punch a clock. And no benefits. At least there's NO holiday pay and the pay sucks so I got that going for me.
    So don't feel too bad, it could be worse.
     
  10. Turtle Wexler

    Turtle Wexler Member

    Ace, I don't think so. As long as you don't take the vehicle itself as a deduction, you can take the (non-reimbursed) mileage for business use.

    However, I'm not an accountant or tax pro, so if you're interested in this, go verify with someone who knows. :)
     
  11. jfs1000

    jfs1000 Member

    The flaw in the system and the reason they are losing money is they are requiring busy work and piling up of hours when no news happens.

    So, when news happens there is overtime. That's foolhardy. a sheet schedule allows much more flex time and as long as work is done and productive, then how many hours you work is irrelevant.

    It's dumb. Go on a time sheet and allow each writer and reporter to make his own hours. If you produce and don't slack, you get a long leash. You slack, the crack comes. That's being a professional.

    In the summers at our place, 40 hours is sometimes hard to come by unless you just do busy work. So, I take 30 hour weeks (or less) in the summer and don't bitch when I do 50 during football season or work 18 of 19 days in the fall.

    If they don't see this, then they don't know what their labor costs are. Do you want someone who works quickly and efficiently, or do you want someone to spread the work over 8 hours?

    That's just how it's done. If you are efficient and can do your work and cover all your bases and be a professional, you shouldn't be slaved to the punch card system.

    That's just dumb.
     
  12. Shoeless Joe

    Shoeless Joe Active Member

    I save all the paperwork and turn it in every year with my taxes. We get 30 cents. My accountant, who is also a personal friend so I know he's not just being lazy, says it's not really helpful in mt case. I give it to him yearly, anyway. (I turn in a mileage sheet monthly. I have every one saved back to 1997 or 98. I don't know why. I just started putting them in a folder each month to save for income tax and never bothered to toss any of them. Now it's become kind of a collection and I won't toss them just for the heck of it.)

    I had a friend at another paper tell me once that employees were told they can't file the difference on their income tax because the paper files the difference on its tax reports. Uhhhhhhhhh, yeah.
     
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