Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Star-Telegram publisher announces extension of wage freeze

In an email sent to employees yesterday, Star-Telegram publisher Gary Wortel announced the existing wage freeze would be extended through the end of the year, and possibly longer. Here is the email:

All Employees,

As you know from McClatchy’s recent earnings report, the company is making progress in weathering this difficult economy. Still, we continue to experience a challenging revenue environment and must remain disciplined in our cost control efforts.

With that in mind, we plan to extend the current wage freeze for all employees (including corporate) at least through December of this year, with the hope of restoring merit increases sometime in 2010, as business conditions warrant. As we finalize budget plans this fall, each McClatchy newspaper will determine when the freeze will end.

We know this hardship along with our recent announcement of furloughs, weighs heavily on everyone. We are determined to successfully manage through a recession that has few precedents and remain committed to lifting the salary freeze as soon as financial conditions allow.

Meanwhile, thank you for the contributions you’ve made toward helping us achieve our goals.


We’re all in this together, and your hard work has helped the company position itself for better days ahead.

Please contact your manager if you have questions.

Gary Wortel
President & Publisher
Star-Telegram
Read email sent to KC Star employees
Read email sent to McClatchy Interactive

Hat tip: comments
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17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Watch yourselves, at some properties, folks are back to 2003-4 wages due to pay cuts. That does not include lost wages due to furloughs. OOPS, I forgot to mention 401k and pension "freezes"

Anonymous said...

I've calculated that my S-T compensation has dropped by nearly 25% when you include my wage cut, the loss of the 401k match and the lost income from the furlough.

And I imagine that we'll see a substantial increase in health insurance premiums this fall at open enrollment time, which will be another reduction in my take-home pay.

Anonymous said...

Exact same email sent to the Charlotte Observer. Can't these people, Publisher of a major newspaper, wordsmith their own letters?

I know, silly question. The answer is obviously "no".

Anonymous said...

At this rate, employees will someday be paying to work there.

Thank God I got out when I did.

Anonymous said...

"We're all in this together," especially millionaire publishers and other top execs at the S-T who reportedly got bonuses last year after the pay cuts, er, "pay freeze."

Anonymous said...

Can't these people, Publisher of a major newspaper, wordsmith their own letters?

Write their own letters? Not when Sacramento is dictating them.
Write their own letters?
Gary Wart apparently doesn't know how to use a computer. His secretary sends out his Wortelograms announcing cutbacks.

Denise said...

Where's the clown that said his/her paycut was being reversed. What a crock!

Anonymous said...

Oh, and we "thank you for all that you do."

Anonymous said...

I can remember when it was an honor to work for McClatchy and you felt proud to be a part of the company. And it wasn't that long ago. How can you feel that way today after your taking 15-20percent pay/benefits cuts and working twice as hard for people and a company you don't respect?

Anonymous said...

Anybody who expects to get a pay raise next year doesn't have the common sense and smarts to be a good journalist. Find another profession.

Anonymous said...

Or, if you still like the profession, organize a union and demand professional pay for professional work. S-T employees should realize that they do have some leverage. The corporate clowns in Sacramento would be very worried if a work stoppage happened at their most profitable paper, which is generating anout $50 million a year for the company.

Anonymous said...

7:43
Seems to me middle and upper middle management were told several years ago that ALL bonus programs were discontinued yet occasionally one would hear about MBO allocation of funds (Management By Objective) usually meaning a bonus to top managment based on cost cutting efforts, reaching overall sales objectives, cutting FTE positions, etc). When upper management is making from $150-$450K a year, what the heck did they need a bonus for?

Seems while others were taking pay cuts in multiple forms and taking on job tasks of 2-3 other people so work continued to get done, the fat cats have continued to get fatter all along.........

KEEP CUTTING COSTS AND FTE'S UNTIL YOU BIG GUYS ARE THE ONLY ONES LEFT AND THEN FIND OUT HOW HARD IT IS TO GET A PAPER OUT.

Anonymous said...

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE have another round of buyouts so I can get out?

Anonymous said...

5:53 - what about the free parking, which went away? Another pay cut I took indirectly since we now have to pay to park.

7:52 - Wartel came in to FW has the "hotshot" computer wiz. Self proclaimed at least. Doesn't even email out his own messages.

Anonymous said...

Dam we can get raises if you guys cut the dead weight- we don't need Jessie Hardin - he is dumb as a box of rocks AND DON'T WORK AND COMES IN LATE.....Thomas in parts - we don't need- Cindy can do parts.....T.C. AND JAMES RIDDLE CAN GO-THEY BOTH SUCK AND DON'T WORK........AND Robert Johnson need to get off the drugs. You see what that shit is doing to Chop.

Anonymous said...

5:15pm You sound like a bitter little troll. I hope you're smart enough to take the next buyout. On another note, if the paper is doing so bad, then why are they hiring part-time press operators(see Sunday's 8/18 edition). They just don't want to admit that they let too many people go, especially talented individuals that actually knew how to run a press and instead kept the injuns that perform like everyday is their first day. You know who you are.

Anonymous said...

Well we do have a lot of so-called managers that we don't need- Jessie is just a fall guy.......T.C. just tries to hard and don't need to.......James is just here and Robert is just on crack.Yes we did get rid of alot of good people. The morale still sucks. I will take the next buyout when is it.