Monday, March 16, 2009

If this is true, a lot of employees at the Charlotte Observer are not going to be happy

Don't know how reliable this info is, but if true, some folks in Charlotte won't be happy.
The publisher of The Charlotte Observer is on vacation, so don't expect to hear an announcement this week.
Other readers are also saying the publisher is out. It's cold-hearted to leave the employees twisting in the wind.
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20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not only is she on vacation, but I thing the VP of operations is also on vacation!

Anonymous said...

What strikes me is the cruelty with which this is being handled throughout the chain. Is it possible that the two could be off somewhere conspiring?

Anonymous said...

Hey, get real! I work at the Observer. If her time away keeps people on the payroll for an extra week, it's a good thing! I know the waiting is painful, but at least we still have jobs!

Anonymous said...

Well I also work at the Observer (although for how much longer I don't know) and I am furious they are taking this long. "At least we still have jobs"? Are you kidding me? We've been yanked around for going on seven weeks now and the publisher takes a vacation? What??? CRAZY! THis place is a frickin joke. I can't WAIT to get my pink slip!

Anonymous said...

Don't worry. Whether it's this go 'round or the next, most all of us are going to get a pink slip.

Anonymous said...

At least the publisher of the SC State had the b***s to run off 3 vp's

Anonymous said...

True 4:42, I know there will be yet ANOTHER round after this one!

Anonymous said...

I put the Kansas city star names on my blog. We just paid a yearly bill of 200.00 yesterday for another year of the paper. they have to be friggin' nuts! It's their mayor, he's an idiot. What will they do, when not everyone owns a computer?

Anonymous said...

She's on vacation. That's why I didn't think we'd hear this week.
Again, just my opinion.

Anonymous said...

The place is a joke. Pressman have been instructed not to take vacation unitl June but the higher ups get to go on vacation.Hmmm must get that week of vacation in before the pay cuts I guess. Yes we have jobs but what kind of company do we have. I think its speaks for itself by the actions of our leadership.

Anonymous said...

Not that I think it's right to make people wait - but isn't she on some huge trip that was planned like a year in advance? To Europe or something? Horrible timing but if it was planned that far out it's not like she can change her plans or like she could see this coming. They probably could have wrapped things up last week before she left though!!

Anonymous said...

Tell that to the pressman that have been told not to take vacation. I am sure some of them had some pretty big trips planned with money down. There's no excuse she is our so called leader and with the money she makes she can afford to change her ticket in that first class seat that will be sitting a no class passenger....

Anonymous said...

In the same circumstance, Rolfe Neil would have lead by example.

He'd have been the first to hit the door.
Leadership, people.
Ethics.
Character.
Integrity.

Might not be a lot to hold onto in this climate, but still entirely too valuable to abandon.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I've been wondering how things would be different with Rolfe at the helm. Roanoke is absolutely right. It sucks having all these Swords of Damocles hanging over our heads.

My question about the publisher being on vacation is that, assuming there is two weeks notice to those who will be laid off, the notification has to be done by Tuesday at latest. Otherwise, they'll be paying the people laid off in the 2nd quarter.

Or does that matter?

Anonymous said...

I don't know how they're handling them now, but when I was laid off last June in Lexington, I was only given one week "notice."

Anonymous said...

"What strikes me is the cruelty with which this is being handled throughout the chain."

Indeed. Though given that everything is being funneled through corporate hr/legal first, it may not be as deliberate as it seems.

Anonymous said...

Any concern for employees Charlotte Observer or what's even good for the community walked out the door with Rolfe Neil. After that everyone became just a number and now I don't even think the admin cares enough to assign you even that. Expendable - that's all they can see, and worry about how to get the work done later.

Anonymous said...

Can't the HR person send the email and pass out the packets? It's not like any of the publishers involved so far have held hands or passed out kleenix from what I have heard.

Geez, man........if Corp doesn't care anymore (proven time and time again), and the locals can't help what's going on or don't care (again proven fact it seems, what's the diff on how the news gets out???

Anonymous said...

I believe Ms. Caulkins child (or children) attends Country Day and this week is their spring break, so it is quite possible she's off on a family vacation. If her child attended public school her vacation could have waited a few weeks.

Anonymous said...

(Do I hear a death march playing the background come Monday?)

Enjoy the weekend! It's been a LONG two months to wait...