Monday, May 11, 2009

Low-key Bee reunion over the weekend

Via email, a reader reports on a Sacramento Bee reunion Saturday...

It was pretty much like a work party you'd see at any other company hit by layoffs.

The reunion was held at a nice home in an outlying area, by gracious hosts, according to the reader. There was great food and plenty of booze.

There were about 50 people in attendance. 50% were older retired folks, 25% recently laid off or bought out and the rest were current employees.

No management types came, at least the ones still working at McClatchy. (The reader says nobody expected they would come -- and management seems to have known they shouldn't come around.)

The older folks sat around the swimming pool in the shade and reminisced.

The recently laid off talked about unemployment benefits and looking for work.

The people still at the Bee talked about how tough things are now that so many experienced workers are gone.

The mood was quiet, reflective. There was an underlying theme of resentment at upper management for abandoning workers who had dedicated themselves to the company. But there wasn't open anti-Bee talk... the reader says since there were a lot there that still work at the Bee people watched what they said.

All in all, it sounds like a typical work party. .
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6 comments:

MAS1916 said...

So the Bee continues its trek towards the tank.

It seems that the paper is just following the Obama recovery plan though.. High unemployment will only continue given the high level of government spending and the borrowing required to support it. It is sad that the Bee probably won't experience any employment resurgence.

Conservatives are taking Hope to a new level though... for a top ten list of things conservatives should be optimistic about, you can hit:
http://firstconservative.com/blog/top-ten/conservative-resurgence

Anonymous said...

MAS1916: What does your post have to do with the Sac Bee reunion ? An opportunity to Spam some other site ? Pathetic.

Anonymous said...

I just knew this was the fault of those liberals!

Anonymous said...

Hey, I think it's nice they got together and had a good time.

But, I'd love to be a fly on the wall and know who or what they blamed for the downsizing at McClatchy

Anonymous said...

It was a nice reunion. Lots of laughter and lots of food and libations.

Even though it feels at times that we Bee employees have been through hell it was not a typical worker bitch fest but a chance to reconnect with long lost friends, listen to the latest news and rumors and exchange unemployment and job information.

Upper Management types where not invited. There is no love for those who destroyed the Company. It was mostly general non-editorial Q St. office types and circulation folks.

All in all a good time.

Anonymous said...

We do this every other month for breakfast ( at a Denny's) in Fresno