Apr 2, 2009

LANG freezes employee vacation time*

After being forced to take a week's worth of unpaid leave, LANG employees will now lose out on some of their paid vacation. According to a memo from Inland Division Publisher Fred Hamilton, employees will no longer accrue vacation time starting April 5. The suspension will last through July 4.

Here's the Hamilton memo:
Colleagues,

Tomorrow and for some later today, along with your paycheck, you'll be receiving a letter about another step our newspapers are taking to tackle the difficult economic challenges that we are facing.

In short, we'll be suspending accrual of employee vacation time from April 5, 2009 through July 4, 2009. The letter will go into specifics and our human resource VP Louise Kopitch is available to answer your questions.

I want to let you know that I truly appreciate all the additional sacrifices and hard work that all employees have made during these unprecedented times.

Fred Hamilton
Publisher
An almost identical memo went out to the other LANG newspapers.

The union representing workers at the Daily News and Press-Telegram says the freeze won't apply to its members.

*Update: Jim Janiga, LANG's head of human resources, sent out a memo (read it here) that provides a general sense of how much vacation time will be lost. (via LA Observed)

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

"I truly appreciate all the additional sacrifices and hard work that all employees ..."

Which evidently doesn't apply to the Daily News and Press Telegram union people.

nomorepatience said...

How many bad things have to happen before people say "screw this" and call the folks at the PT or DN to ask about joining the union too?

Anonymous said...

it's b/c lang folks don't feel they can do any better. so they get it stuck to them. they need to raise their self esteem and realize there is a whole great big world out there. they can do better!!!

Anonymous said...

Besides having all of retail management booted out, we now will once again work for less. Yes, we can take our planned vacations, if it is dependent on accruing vacation time this quarter, we don’t get paid. So many of us have yet to recover from our forced furloughs and now this? Yep, sign me up for a 2 week vacation with no pay! By the way, who is going to reimburse those of us who bought plane tickets we now have to change? Singleton has no idea how his lack of good business sense has affected those who have worked so hard very so little.

Anonymous said...

So now they don't earn vacation time, is that even legal?? I would rather wait tables than work for Singleton.

You would definitely make more money.

Anonymous said...

I'm glad I hoarded my vacation time and was paid for all of it before I quit this company.

Anonymous said...

What kind of fresh hell is THIS? First we have forced furloughs, and now we can't accrue vacation time for an entire quarter. I don't think joining a union is the answer, but I do think all the LANG reporters should seriously think about some sort of "Day Without A Reporter" and see what REALLY happens.

Anonymous said...

There is a different feeling about the future of the chain at the SGV groups compared to PT and DN. It is a younger newsroom, and many of the reporters don't intend to stick that long. Joining the union is not worth it for a lot of these reporters, who figure they will depart the paper sooner rather than later.

Unknown said...

A job picking up dog poop in the park would be preferable to working for Singleton. If you haven't already, get out. Now.

Anonymous said...

once again gary you've taken a memo from your girlfriend at the breeze put it up here and let the anti lang malcontents bash the org. why don't u stop cashing the cheks if u hate it sooo much?????

Newshound said...

Nothing that happens at LANG should surprise anyone anymore. If at some point there was a memo where Dean ordered everyone to wear uniforms, or to don fright wigs and clown noses, there would still be those who would defend him.

It's OK to hang onto your jobs, people. It's even OK if you have to do things that make you feel like someone's butt boy.

But don't defend the people who make you do it.

Anonymous said...

And what warmth from Janiga. It might as well say, "Sorry for the inconvenience ... actually, on second thought, you can all just suffer, and like it."

nothanks said...

once again gary you've taken a memo from your girlfriend at the breeze put it up here and let the anti lang malcontents bash the org. why don't u stop cashing the cheks if u hate it sooo much?????

Gary Scott is getting checks from LANG? It's his fault that LANG is a hated company? Whether or not he's dating a LANG employee matters to anyone but you?


...NO

John Paul Jones said...

The fact is that in these economic times, folks who have jobs should hang onto them.

So the bosses have the upper hand; that's the way it is.

But when times change, remember.

Anonymous said...

The parks are hiring? Where?

Anonymous said...

once again gary you've taken a memo from your girlfriend at the breeze put it up here and let the anti lang malcontents bash the org. why don't u stop cashing the cheks if u hate it sooo much?????

LOL....Gary, you're pissing the puppets off. You must be doing something wright...Keep at it bud!

Anonymous said...

What a sad joke.

Anonymous said...

No, I mean it. Are the parks hiring for dog patrol? LA city or where?

Anonymous said...

I guess no more layoffs is now replaced with no vacation benefits and salary freezez etc. Guess no more layoffs is accurate...riiiiiiiiiiight!

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