In San Fran, laid-off workers not treated like criminals
What a difference a coast makes.
In San Francisco, the Hearst-owned Chronicle did not treat employees the awful way that Times Union workers were treated. There were no added security guards, no tap on the shoulder and no forcing people to leave the building.
Michael Cabanatuan is the president of the Northern California Media Guild, the Guild local that represents workers at the Hearst-owned San Francisco Chronicle. Michael also works at the Chronicle.
When he learned what had happened here, he said: “I’ve heard of nothing this absurd. In San Francisco, they notified people in mid-May that they would be laid off — some immediately, some at the end of June, July and August. But they were not escorted from the building and were, in fact, were/are expected to report to work.”
Guild President Tim O’Brien has a next-door neighbor who just was laid off from Albany International.
“He knew for months what his last day was going to be,” O’Brien said. “He still reported to work every day and did his job. He was not escorted from the building like he was going to attack the place. This is a horrible way to treat employees, many of whom had worked for the newspaper for a decade or more. This was not treating employees with fairness, kindness, dignity or respect, the motto the Company once used to describe its approach to workers. No one should ever be treated this way again and those who were are owed an apology.”
The Guild is pursuing charges before the National Relations Board over both the illegal declaration of impasse and the layoff of employees before negotiations over criteria were complete.
6 Comments
Christine
Job opening for friends who aren’t here anymore…
Christine
http://www.higheredjobs.com/details.cfm?JobCode=175378249
Oooops – I thought the website address would show up if I put it in that other field. Here’s the job posting!
JiNX-01
So, that insulting decision to have armed escorts for for EMPLOYEES with NO criminal records was a local decision.
Nice.
On Edge
Hey Rex Smith, this just in from “How to Lay Off Employees” on AskMen.com:
5- Be respectful
Though you need to face your employee and be honest about the situation, antagonism isn’t necessary when you lay off employees. Don’t ambush your workers with the news, and be careful not to cause a scene. Having a beloved staff member escorted out like a criminal is a sure way to lose the respect of your remaining staff. Above all, never get mad or lose your cool. It’s OK for a laid-off employee to get emotional; in fact, it’s to be expected. You, however, must remain professional at all times.
On Edge
And this from businessinsider.com:
Don’t treat laid off employees like criminals. Laid-off employees do not all need to be escorted from the building by burly, armed guards before 3 p.m. or else. That kind of confrontational stance “sets up a battle,” says Nemer — a legal battle
Rosebud
How long before the nitwits in “digital advertising” schedule another limo ride?