Tuesday, December 2, 2008

No layoffs (for now)

Rumors have been circulating regarding impending layoffs at the Daily News. Guild Rep Vicki Di Paolo has spent the last week tracking down the facts, and here's what she sent out to the membership:

In response to several inquiries about rumors of more lay offs at the Daily News, after one week, two email communications and a phone call Jim Janiga (Sen. VP of Human Resources) responded via email that there are no lay offs planned, but as the economy worsens we can expect there will be more. Also, he has no idea of what department(s) would be affected.

Not exactly an ironclad declaration one way or another.

Also, the Daily News announced that it is closing the Antelope Valley bureau and reporter Karen Maeshiro will leave the company after 20-years of service.

Telecommuting would have seemingly been an easy solution, but wiser minds decided to ask Maeshiro to commute from Antelope Valley to the Woodland Hills office. Maeshiro is said to have responded that "the prospect of that commute proved too daunting."

As always, the Guild will continue to investigate these situations and seek more information as it becomes available.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes and when the Daily News is threatened with layoffs, management at the L.A. Daily News thinks they are gods gift and should be untouchable and MediaNews should absorb it through out LANG.

We are screwed and you know that Dean is ready to dive into and cut the fat at the Breeze.

Anonymous said...

What fat at the Breeze? There's no such thing.

Anonymous said...

In your eyes they aren't fat but to MediaNews, they are as plump as a Christmas goose.

The MediaNews buzzards will always see more meat to pick off the bones.

Anonymous said...

No one is essential, and no one is safe.

There are two philosophies at work here. Your presumably have one, and your bosses have the other.

"what do I need to put out a good paper?"

- and -

"what can I cut without shutting down operations?"

The people in Torrance are pretty new, so this might still be your honeymoon phase with the MediaNews empire. But make no mistake, you just married Ike Turner, and he doesn't like the way you're looking at him right now.

Anonymous said...

Gut the P-T and merge all operations with the Breeze.

Anonymous said...

1) Someone go ask Jim Janiga the same question. Some layoffs are REPORTEDLY going down today at the Daily News. Hell, one person was informed yesterday.

2) To Anon #1, we have had several layoffs in editorial in the past year at the Daily News. It's wildly inaccurate to paint the Daily News as immune to cuts that are then absorbed by other papers. We're all in this together.

Len Cutler said...

Someone go ask Jim Janiga the same question. Some layoffs are REPORTEDLY going down today at the Daily News. Hell, one person was informed yesterday.


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Anonymous said...

Great job union. You say there won't be layoffs, but in the same week, the Daily News is announcing layoffs. Will this also affect the PT and the Breeze?

Anonymous said...

@anon 12:33pm The union isn't laying off people. The company is!

Anonymous said...

so who got axed?

Anonymous said...

Janiga is a lying liar who lies...within hours of him denying any cuts, Voila!