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Happy Thanksgiving ?
Today is the day we get together with family and friends to give thanks for things that we are thankful for.
Should I Be Thankful for:
Seven restless nights since a week ago today Asheville Citizen-Times Publisher Randy Hammer said we are consolidating our production departments with our sister Gannett paper, The Greenville News, 63 miles away, in South Carolina. 60 jobs were eliminated in Asheville, some of the employees laid off are transferring to new jobs being added at Greenville to handle the extra work, mainly press jobs. For mailroom employees, we were offered a limited number of Part-time mailroom jobs avg. 20-25 hrs. a week at $6.50 hr. I’m going to drive 2 1/2 hours round trip in good weather, double that if there’s snow or ice, to work part-time. Yeah that will pay for my gas, but what about my mortgage, utilities, and food for my family? But I should be thankful for the offer, right?
With hindsight I wish now I had stood up for everyone affected that day and asked Mr. Hammer why everyone that had been previously laid off that it was effective immediately. In some cases, HR was there at 9:00 am to inform them that their position had been eliminated and they were packed up and gone before lunchtime. Why were the Production jobs not handled the same way? Why? Could it be that they needed all of us to produce the biggest Thanksgiving paper ACT has ever produced? I should have said, “You expect us to bust our asses to get you through the heaviest work load of the year and then show us the door.” We all should have said, “HELL NO, let Greenville do it.” you’re going to screw us, no we are going to screw you and we should have gotten up and walked out. But Gannett had already thought that out. As outlined in our Severance Packages “This severance is contingent upon your working through 01-04-09 with perfect attendance, except in the case of sick time that is supported by a Doctor’s note.“ How Clever. Gotcha.
I’m thankful to live in a country where I have Freedom of Speech.
Now I choose to exercise that right!
Talking to friends and family I’m amazed how many people have not yet heard about their local paper being printed in Greenville, and all of the people that are losing their jobs here at the Sardis Road Production Facility. It’s time I start a movement to make sure everyone in Western North Carolina knows what is happening and how Gannett is treating me and my hard working co-workers. The story was printed at the bottom of our local news section page. I’ve seen us give front-page treatment to stories with much less impact. This is a story about a local company that been a fixture for 123 years in WNC shutting down an entire production facility and laying off 60 workers in the midst of a downed economy, and it gets bottom-of-the-page, inside section only. WLOS-TV had only maybe a thirty second snippet concerning this event. Could it be Gannett only wants minimal coverage about this story?
I think its time WNC stands up to Gannett and sends a message that WNC will boycott ACT and will not purchase a paper until Gannett rethinks their decision, and gives us our jobs back so that it will benefit Asheville NC not Greenville SC. Our last edition is 01-04-09 that will be printed here locally. What a shame. I’m sure everyone at ACT never thought that their hard work, dedication, and pride in a job well done would have ever ended like this. So I guess today I should be thankful that I had this opportunity to work with a very dedicated group of people that I’ll greatly miss working with much too soon. Happy Thanksgiving
"Happy White Settler’s Day. Let the genocide begin!(not so funny, but brutally honest) "
A truly traditional thanksgiving: Invite all your neighbors over for a big feast. Then kill them and take their land.
Let’s hope this one doesn’t turn out that way.
Happy White Settler’s Day. Let the genocide begin!(not so funny, but brutally honest)
Happy Thanksgiving.