SE at Cherry Hill, NJ

thegrifter · Jun 6, 2008

is it me, or is there a lot of hiring going on over at Gannett? Seems somewhat out of character

BrianGriffin · Jun 6, 2008

thegrifter said:

is it me, or is there a lot of hiring going on over at Gannett? Seems somewhat out of character
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I've known a few people to get out of the business rather than stay with Gannett and I've known a few to stay at smaller family-owned papers, rather than apply at Gannett.

I wonder if, as a chain, they are experiencing the intersection of high turnover and limited interest.

Keystone · Jun 6, 2008

I hear through the grapevine that Gary Silvers from the Bucks County Courier Times is interested in this job. He was recently demoted to ASE when Caulkins merged personnel with Doylestown.

formulacola · Jun 7, 2008

Anyone know what happened to Phil Anastasia?

jaker23 · Jun 7, 2008

Phil covers South Jersey high school sports for the Inky now. Only been about a month or so.

formulacola · Jun 8, 2008

jaker23 said:

Phil covers South Jersey high school sports for the Inky now. Only been about a month or so.
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Thanks for the update. I also feel like an idiot for not Googling him and finding it on the first page.

Hoop Time · Jun 8, 2008

Jersey_Guy said:

Dear Mr. Lafferty:

The Courier-Post newsroom is in crisis.

Employees are overworked with no relief in sight, and not being paid for working overtime. Reporters often lack necessities to do their job, like having new notebooks; the photo department sometimes cannot handle assignments because of a lack of equipment. Upper management has taken an increasingly critical tone, often demeaning employees in public. The tension has increased to the point that the men’s and women’s bathrooms in the newsroom have been deliberately soiled by feces in separate incidents. This appears to be a result of demoralized employees seeking an outlet to vent ever-mounting frustration.

The staff has shrunk significantly since November – at least eight newsroom employees have left – leaving fewer people to handle a workload that continues to increase with the addition of new publications. This comes on top of dealing with the daily newspaper, zoned Communities pages, special sections and online coverage beyond what goes in the newspaper. The executive editor and the managing editor seem oblivious to the impact of this workload on the remaining employees.

The result is a staff that is overworked to the point where it often is physically impossible to complete the required work within the scheduled work week. As a consequence, many non-exempt employees work beyond their allotted hours without being paid overtime. The issue often is addressed by telling the employee to take time off as compensation, but that seldom occurs because the workload does not make it practical.

Employees who have worked overtime in the past must be compensated for their time and they must be advised of the newspaper’s overtime policy and assured it will be enforced. If these steps are not taken by Feb. 22, we see no recourse other than to file a complaint with the hour and wage division of the U.S. Department of Labor.

The lack of equipment has made it difficult for people throughout the newsroom to do their job. Beyond notebooks and photo equipment, layout editors frequently have to wait their turn to use the inadequate number of pagination stations. This results in a loss of production time for the newspaper. The two newsroom copy machines are frequently broken, forcing employees to use the copy machine in advertising and often having to wait in line. There have been occasions when the newsroom has run out of copier paper.

Dealing with these challenges has been exacerbated by the increasingly critical tone taken by the executive editor and managing editor toward the staff. The result is a chaotic, mismanaged workplace in which the executive editor and managing editor are inconsistent in their direction to employees. Such an environment stifles initiative, creativity and productivity. Employees often are left frustrated by the lack of a clear, defined approach.

This climate of crisis is embodied by the soiling of the bathrooms. In the first incident, in the men’s bathroom, it took 24 hours for the feces to be removed from the floor. A reporter had to send out an electronic message warning employees about the situation. In the second incident, in the women’s bathroom, management quickly responded to have the feces removed and the area sanitized. Still, some employees believe the incidents were meant as a symbol of the mounting frustration they face on a daily basis.

We hope this letter brings to your attention this serious situation, and leads to action that will prevent it from escalating.

Sincerely,
Crying out for the Courier
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And you are saying that is different from where you work?

Aside from the editors, that sounds pretty much like the story being told by everybody I talk to in the industry.

Not saying it is a good job, or bad. I don't know the place aside from having read the paper a few times (always seemed to have good Philly pro coverage, as others have mentioned). But most of that was just a state of the industry address. Fewer papers sold mean fewer ads mean fewer people meand find new sources of income means more work for those fortunate enough to at least draw a paycheck that doen't bounce.

Yes, it sucks, but we're not the first industry to take the more with less approach. Welcome to America!

Anyhow, it's worth noting that a gig as an SE at a place that covers major league beats is nothing to sneeze at. That makes up for a some of those negatives.

sports scrub · Jun 10, 2008

Jersey_Guy said:

Dear Mr. Lafferty:

The Courier-Post newsroom is in crisis.

Employees are overworked with no relief in sight, and not being paid for working overtime. Reporters often lack necessities to do their job, like having new notebooks; the photo department sometimes cannot handle assignments because of a lack of equipment. Upper management has taken an increasingly critical tone, often demeaning employees in public. The tension has increased to the point that the men’s and women’s bathrooms in the newsroom have been deliberately soiled by feces in separate incidents. This appears to be a result of demoralized employees seeking an outlet to vent ever-mounting frustration.

The staff has shrunk significantly since November – at least eight newsroom employees have left – leaving fewer people to handle a workload that continues to increase with the addition of new publications. This comes on top of dealing with the daily newspaper, zoned Communities pages, special sections and online coverage beyond what goes in the newspaper. The executive editor and the managing editor seem oblivious to the impact of this workload on the remaining employees.

The result is a staff that is overworked to the point where it often is physically impossible to complete the required work within the scheduled work week. As a consequence, many non-exempt employees work beyond their allotted hours without being paid overtime. The issue often is addressed by telling the employee to take time off as compensation, but that seldom occurs because the workload does not make it practical.

Employees who have worked overtime in the past must be compensated for their time and they must be advised of the newspaper’s overtime policy and assured it will be enforced. If these steps are not taken by Feb. 22, we see no recourse other than to file a complaint with the hour and wage division of the U.S. Department of Labor.

The lack of equipment has made it difficult for people throughout the newsroom to do their job. Beyond notebooks and photo equipment, layout editors frequently have to wait their turn to use the inadequate number of pagination stations. This results in a loss of production time for the newspaper. The two newsroom copy machines are frequently broken, forcing employees to use the copy machine in advertising and often having to wait in line. There have been occasions when the newsroom has run out of copier paper.

Dealing with these challenges has been exacerbated by the increasingly critical tone taken by the executive editor and managing editor toward the staff. The result is a chaotic, mismanaged workplace in which the executive editor and managing editor are inconsistent in their direction to employees. Such an environment stifles initiative, creativity and productivity. Employees often are left frustrated by the lack of a clear, defined approach.

This climate of crisis is embodied by the soiling of the bathrooms. In the first incident, in the men’s bathroom, it took 24 hours for the feces to be removed from the floor. A reporter had to send out an electronic message warning employees about the situation. In the second incident, in the women’s bathroom, management quickly responded to have the feces removed and the area sanitized. Still, some employees believe the incidents were meant as a symbol of the mounting frustration they face on a daily basis.

We hope this letter brings to your attention this serious situation, and leads to action that will prevent it from escalating.

Sincerely,
Crying out for the Courier
Click to expand...

Click to expand...

maybe do this instead of crapping on the bathroom floor:

Jersey_Guy · Jun 10, 2008

Hoop Time said:

And you are saying that is different from where you work?

Aside from the editors, that sounds pretty much like the story being told by everybody I talk to in the industry.

Not saying it is a good job, or bad. I don't know the place aside from having read the paper a few times (always seemed to have good Philly pro coverage, as others have mentioned). But most of that was just a state of the industry address. Fewer papers sold mean fewer ads mean fewer people meand find new sources of income means more work for those fortunate enough to at least draw a paycheck that doen't bounce.
Click to expand...

Yes, it's ridiculously different from where I work.

Where I work, employees still get overtime (or, if the choose, comp time), nobody gets publically demeaned, we have - get this - enough computers for everyone, free batteries and pens. We've even filled an open position or two lately.

It's paradise, I tell ya.

Or at least what passes for paradise in the newspaper business these days.

Or at least nice enough that there's no open rebellion, let alone employees relieving themselves on the floor.

Seriously, if you think that stuff passes for normal, I'm glad I don't work where you work.

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SE at Cherry Hill, NJ

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SE at Cherry Hill, NJ

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