Asheville News

Citizen-Times employees facing another furlough, salary freeze

Jason Sandford March 24, 2009

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

The Gannett Blog is reporting what we could have already guessed: that its newspaper employees, including Gannett’s employees at the Asheville Citizen-Times, will be forced to take more unpaid time off in April, May and June. This comes after Citizen-Times employees had to take one week of unpaid vacation during the first quarter of this year.

The second go-round of furloughs is a little different in that it may not be one full week for some hourly workers, while some more higher-paid workers will be required to take two weeks of unpaid leave.

Then there’s there the wage and salary freeze. Gannett Blog reports that employees are outraged, especially after top Gannett employees just received some big, fat bonus money.

I feel for my former colleagues. Nobody knows where this all is going.

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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3 Comments

Hmmmm March 25, 2009

consolidation:

As I see it, both the Asheville and Hendersonville papers will be moved to their SC offices soon. It just does not make since to have all that overhead so close by when it could be done else where cheaper. They are only 57 miles a part, if that.

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consolidation March 24, 2009

Also heard from a buddy at the Hendersonville Times-News that their copy desk (all of it) is being moved to Spartanburg. Not sure of the timetable, but it is going down soon.

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end of an era March 24, 2009

I feel for the employees at the Citizen-Times. How much more will they be asked to give? The higher ups continue to get paid big annual bonuses while the lowly employees face furloughs and a salary freeze! Can anyone see the resemblances to AIG? The muckey mucks continue to manage a paper into a downward spiral and yet, get paid big bucks to do so.

A recent column on the op/ed page cited that the dirty crooks and politicians are ecstatic about the demise of newspapers. There will soon be no investigative reporters to help guard the gates. Who will be the watchdog over politicians and tax payer money? Who will guard the public’s right to know?

To watch an industry implode without some action besides slashy jobs and quality is unforgiveable. Why not give the readers what they really want to read instead of trying to feed us regurgitated national news and washed down state news? Hatchet Hammer needs to get out of his ivory tower and go somewhere in Asheville besides the Grove Arcade building for coffee and talk to people. Take an unscientific survey if you will. What content would inspire consumers to subscribe? What do advertisers want and need in a publication?

Instead of holding on so tightly to a failed business model, why don’t they create one that will work?

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