Anyone hear anything outta Cleveland today?

[Killick]

Haven't seen anything here, but a friend (and fellow SportsJournalists.com poster) told me that today is D-Day at the PD. Folks were told to take all their stuff home last week, and they'd be told today whether they should return to the newsroom.

Apparently, the PD didn't get the numbers they'd hoped for in latest buyout effort, so... queue the Reaper.

 

[Moderator1]

Just got this:

the word from the executive editor today was that 27 layoffs will take place tomorrow morning, with those targeted for layoffs to be called at home.

The goal was 50 buyouts and obviously they did not get that number. No idea what hit sports will take, but there will be some

 

[Killick]

So, is the "take your stuff home and we'll tell you if we want you to return" part of the story correct? If so, man... that's ****ty.

 

[sg86]

So, is the "take your stuff home and we'll tell you if we want you to return" part of the story correct? If so, man... that's ****ty.

That's pretty much the ultimate in passive aggressive.

 

[Killick]

The goal was 50 buyouts and obviously they did not get that number. No idea what hit sports will take, but there will be some

Yeah, with the money they're paying the Beacon expats (which I assume is more than usual), it'd be pretty hard for sports NOT to take a hit.

 

[Ace]

I can't even joke about this.

 

[MMatt60]

The executive editor used the same strategy in San Jose: call people at home and tell them not to come in. There probably is no good way to lay off someone, but that definitely ain't it.

 

[Killick]

Story's a little old, but at least there's some background here:
http://crainscleveland.com/article/20081117/FREE/311179977

 

[Joe Williams]

What if they made their little chicken-**** phone calls to the discarded 27 but then NO ONE came in to work Tuesday. And Wednesday. And for however long people could afford to hold out, in a massive protest of this crap.

Never gonna happen, I know. Sure would like to see it just this once. A newsroom that stayed empty all day or all week or all month long because of this layoff mentality. They going to immediately start the firing/hiring wheels in motion? They would fail miserably in the short term.

 

[Killick]

You know, not to even look someone in the eye when you're cutting them loose... that's just cowardly. It's unseemly, it's juvenile, it's inhuman. I wish a terrible venereal disease on the managers who conjured this little scheme.

 

[MMatt60]

As predicted earlier, this will be the executive editor's opportunity to axe people who a) disagree with her in meetings and b) older white males.

As a middle-aged woman, she is protective of middle-aged women, unless they disagree with her.

 

[Tom Petty]

i'd like to see all the folks in cleveland visit an attorney and draw up a massive lawsuit for mental anguish. this is horse**** and makes me embarrassed to say i'm a journalist.

 

[pressmurphy]

I've gone through the "wait for the call at home" drill before while working in another line of business.

My advice would be to disable voicemail and/or the answering machine and not answer any calls unless you recognize the number on caller ID as that of a friend.

Then show up the following morning and, if that's what if comes down to, make them fire you face-to-face. Your day was going to be ruined no matter what, so you might as well ruin theirs, too.

 

[thegrifter]

I've gone through the "wait for the call at home" drill before while working in another line of business.

My advice would be to disable voicemail and/or the answering machine and not answer any calls unless you recognize the number on caller ID as that of a friend.

Then show up the following morning and, if that's what if comes down to, make them fire you face-to-face. Your day was going to be ruined no matter what, so you might as well ruin theirs, too.

very well put, PM. very well put.

 

[outofplace]

I've gone through the "wait for the call at home" drill before while working in another line of business.

My advice would be to disable voicemail and/or the answering machine and not answer any calls unless you recognize the number on caller ID as that of a friend.

Then show up the following morning and, if that's what if comes down to, make them fire you face-to-face. Your day was going to be ruined no matter what, so you might as well ruin theirs, too.

I like it. Excellent idea.

 

[MMatt60]

P.S. Sources who know the boss tell me to expect copy editor ranks to be surprisingly hard hit.

 

[Joe Williams]

As predicted earlier, this will be the executive editor's opportunity to axe people who a) disagree with her in meetings and b) older white males.

As a middle-aged woman, she is protective of middle-aged women, unless they disagree with her.

This is what passes for newspaper leadership these days. This is the second place she's getting to pull this crap. Probably will get her a raise, a bonus, a promotion, a new job or all of the above.

One gutless wonder.

p.s., mark me down as well for liking pressmurphy's advice.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

I've gone through the "wait for the call at home" drill before while working in another line of business.

My advice would be to disable voicemail and/or the answering machine and not answer any calls unless you recognize the number on caller ID as that of a friend.

Then show up the following morning and, if that's what if comes down to, make them fire you face-to-face. Your day was going to be ruined no matter what, so you might as well ruin theirs, too.

Chicken dinner.

 

[FileNotFound]

Absolutely abysmal.

 

[lohengrin]

Take a look at this. A lot of the same hogwash from a newspaper executive.


http://www.clevelandmagazine.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=E73ABD6180B44874871A91F6BA5C249C&nm=Arts+%26+Entertainemnt&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=1578600D80804596A222593669321019&tier=4&id=86694521E93F4A04BB8E34F66E31A5A2