Up next: Everett (WA) Herald

[HanSenSE]

62 people cut.
https://myeverettnews.com/2024/06/19/everett-herald-cutting-staff-in-half/

 

[BurnsWhenIPee]

They have a newsroom staff of more than 120? Holy ****, I thought days of staffs that big were in the past, like dinosaur days in the past.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

 

[BurnsWhenIPee]

That's the kind of chicken**** tactics that you (often) need to sell your soul to rise to that level of management.

No problems in reporting all day long about layoffs and staff reductions at the local hospital/manufacturing plant/school district. But don't you dare look in our house!

 

[I Should Coco]

That’s rough — Everett’s newsroom voted to join the NW Newspaper Guild a few years ago, and the new owner so far hasn’t worked one bit with the union.

They want to fire these veterans and, if they’re replaced at all, hire new reporters at $19 an hour. Good luck living in the Puget Sound area on that!

 

[BurnsWhenIPee]

I should know this, but once they vote to join the Guild, don't they have some measure of protection? Or if the owner doesn't recognize them and refuses to negotiate, the Guild is basically window-dressing that does nothing for the workers?

 

[I Should Coco]

I should know this, but once they vote to join the Guild, don't they have some measure of protection? Or if the owner doesn't recognize them and refuses to negotiate, the Guild is basically window-dressing that does nothing for the workers?

That’s a good question — they organized under the previous ownership (Sound Publishing) and I don’t know if they ever negotiated a contract with the new owner out of Alabama.

Without totally outing myself, I can tell you the NW Newspaper Guild has had some success recently with a stronger contract at the Seattle Times and organizing newsrooms in Everett and (I think) Vancouver, Wash.

But I’m not sure what the union can do to prevent the downward spiral of this industry and the job reductions by attrition occurring at many union shops (including mine).

 

[HanSenSE]

That’s a good question — they organized under the previous ownership (Sound Publishing) and I don’t know if they ever negotiated a contract with the new owner out of Alabama.

Without totally outing myself, I can tell you the NW Newspaper Guild has had some success recently with a stronger contract at the Seattle Times and organizing newsrooms in Everett and (I think) Vancouver, Wash.

But I’m not sure what the union can do to prevent the downward spiral of this industry and the job reductions by attrition occurring at many union shops (including mine).

This came up during discussions of the Albertsons-Kroger merger. If the deal goes through (pray not), Krogerson would have to honor the agreed-to contract.

 

[Readallover]

Article is up, just read it. Twelve newsroom staff cut. https://www.heraldnet.com/news/this...y-half-of-everett-herald-news-staff-laid-off/

 

[HanSenSE]

Article is up, just read it. Twelve newsroom staff cut. https://www.heraldnet.com/news/this...y-half-of-everett-herald-news-staff-laid-off/

Two in sports. Two left.

 

[LanceyHoward]

This came up during discussions of the Albertsons-Kroger merger. If the deal goes through (pray not), Krogerson would have to honor the agreed-to contract.

The linked article said that while the Guild was recently recognized as a union in Everett they had not yet reached agreement on a contract. In the absence of a contract I am not sure what the Guild could do, other than strike?

 

[Kolchak]

From that same blog, apparently the Herald posted a story about the layoffs, then removed it, then replaced it with another story that was frendlier to the new owners and softer about the cuts.

https://myeverettnews.com/2024/06/20/the-herald-censors-itself-after-layoffs/

 

[LanceyHoward]

I think their is a lesson to be drawn from the struggles of the Guild here and also in Dallas. I think the Guild won votes at both papers votes to organize but has not been able to negotiate a contract. The Guild does not have much leverage in negotiating a contract in these situations. And any kind of strike could well kill the print edition of the paper and maybe the whole thing. So what does management have to lose by endlessly negotiating?

 

[I Should Coco]

The Guild can work when it is negotiating with newspaper owners who, at least to some degree, care about journalism and the community the newspaper serves.

When the owners are purely interested in profit and live thousands of miles away, as is the case with the Everett Herald’s new ownership group, it’s tough to have fair or reasonable negotiations.

 

[LanceyHoward]

[

The Guild can work when it is negotiating with newspaper owners who, at least to some degree, care about journalism and the community the newspaper serves.

When the owners are purely interested in profit and live thousands of miles away, as is the case with the Everett Herald’s new ownership group, it’s tough to have fair or reasonable negotiations.

How many owners have the economic ability to care about journalism and community service? The publishers that cared about such things have had to sell out. Companies buying papers now are vulture investors trying to take as much out of the carcass as possible.

 

[HanSenSE]

 

[I Should Coco]

[

How many owners have the economic ability to care about journalism and community service? The publishers that cared about such things have had to sell out. companies buying papers now are vulture investors trying to take as much out of the carcas as possible.

It could be argued that the Blethen family, longtime owners of The Seattle Times, is one. But overall, sadly, you are correct.

 

[micropolitan guy]

"Welcome to your open-heart surgery, Mr. Carpenter. We had to lay off half of our customary surgical team but rest assured you will still receive the same top-flight medical care during your procedure."

 

[Mr. X]

What difference will the one-day strike at the Everett Herald make? Will it prompt the owners to change their ways? What successful newspapers strikes, even one-day ones, have there been in the past five years? How is the Everett Herald doing financially? Might a string of losses have prompted the layoffs?

 

[LanceyHoward]

It could be argued that the Blethen family, longtime owners of The Seattle Times, is one. But overall, sadly, you are correct.

I remain puzzled why the Seattle Times did not buy the Everett paper and merge it into the Seattle paper with some kind of Everett edition.