Goodbye Institutional Memory
Submitted by Al Diamon on Tue, 06/24/2008 - 8:46am.
The good news: Not many Portland Press Herald employees are going to get laid off on July 1.
The bad news: About 25 percent of the paper's reporting staff has applied for and been accepted in a voluntary termination program. According to a reliable source, at least six reporters, including several of the most experienced, have until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 25 to let the company know if they'll call it quits. One other reporter has already resigned. Several others are on a waiting list if any of the six decide to back out of the deal and stay.
The Press Herald announced in early June that it would eliminate 35 positions across the company by July 1. It offered the voluntary plan as a way to reduce the number of forced layoffs. It appears about 25 workers who applied for that deal have been accepted. Besides the reporters, they include several advertising sales representatives, one editorial artist, one advertising artist, one photographer and at least two managers.
"It won't mitigate the layoffs altogether, but it will eliminate most of them," said the source.
Al Diamon can be e-mailed at aldiamon@herniahill.net.
The bad news: About 25 percent of the paper's reporting staff has applied for and been accepted in a voluntary termination program. According to a reliable source, at least six reporters, including several of the most experienced, have until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 25 to let the company know if they'll call it quits. One other reporter has already resigned. Several others are on a waiting list if any of the six decide to back out of the deal and stay.
The Press Herald announced in early June that it would eliminate 35 positions across the company by July 1. It offered the voluntary plan as a way to reduce the number of forced layoffs. It appears about 25 workers who applied for that deal have been accepted. Besides the reporters, they include several advertising sales representatives, one editorial artist, one advertising artist, one photographer and at least two managers.
"It won't mitigate the layoffs altogether, but it will eliminate most of them," said the source.
Al Diamon can be e-mailed at aldiamon@herniahill.net.
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