Posts Tagged unemployment

More Plain Dealer Editorial Staff in Job Jeopardy

Posted by Roldo Bartimole in Media on September 28, 2009

September 28, 2009… The Plain Dealer’s management people now face the same fate as union editorial staff and reporters – job loses – despite a long-standing promise called the “Newhouse Pledge” of no layoffs.

According to a piece in Poynter website by Mark Holan the Pledge will go out of business on February 5, 2010.

Holan reported, “The so-called ‘Newhouse Pledge,’ named after the family that founded and controls the New York-based media company, guaranteed that in most cases, employees would never be laid off. The pledge, which according to a recently filed lawsuit has been in place for at least 25 years, applied to all full-time, non-union employees. Newhouse has a reputation of being an anti-union company, and some believe the pledge was intended partly to discourage employees from organizing.”

Holan adds, “But like hot type and afternoon editions, the pledge has become a relic.”

The PD has had significant job lost in its editorial staff, some 40 percent of the editorial staff, according to some reports.

Many notice that the Plain Dealer has reduced its size and content in recent times.

A publisher at the Newhouse’s Mobile Press-Register has decided to use the pledge as a means to sue Newhouse for his dismissal.

“(Howard) Bronson wants a jury to award damages for breaking the pledge and forcing him into retirement,” Holan writes.

This puts another level of PD editorial staffing in jeopardy by early next year.

A Newhouse family member quoted saying that “the pledge does not apply ‘to the kind of transitional moment in the newspaper industry that is basically struggling to survive.’”

The Newhouse Pledge, therefore, wasn’t really a pledge.

The full story is available here: http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=101&aid=170645

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Ohio is Sinking, Where are You Gov. Strickland?

Posted by Roldo Bartimole in Economic Development, Politicians on July 9, 2009

July 09, 2009… No wonder President Barack Obama’s and Governor Ted Strickland’s popularity in Ohio is sinking like a lead weight in water. New job figures for the start of July stink. Again.

George Zeller, research analyst, reports today on the economic outlook and he’s quite blunt. Alarmingly bad, he reports again.

The new data, writes Zeller, “…are important since they will be the first indication that is available when the ongoing Ohio recession finally ends. That did not happen in the new data. INSTEAD, THE RATE OF LAYOFFS IN OHIO CONTINUES TO INCREASE VERY SHARPLY AT AN ALARMING RATE THROUGH EARLY JULY 2009.” (My emphasis.)

He goes on: “The new data indicate that Ohio is still rapidly losing jobs, not gaining them, even during the first week of July. This makes it highly unlikely that there will be a rebound in the tax revenue collections of the state of Ohio during the forthcoming 2009 months.

At this time of year, Zeller reports, the number of weekly claims in Cuyahoga County, for example, should be fewer than 1,000. However, he reports them at 2,225, “a level more than double the normal 1,000 rule of thumb that measures a recession” here.

Further, “It also exceeded last year’s very high figure by 79 percent.”

Ohio had 21,435 new unemployment claims for the first week of July, 170 percent higher level for this time. Our seven-county region is at 178 percent higher than the pre-recession 1999 level and triple what is should be at this time of year, reports Zeller.

Here is his data report: http://www.nacs.net/~georgez/newclaims070409.pdf

This all means the state revenue will continue to be a serious problem. What’s the answer?

Gov. Strickland proposes slots. Our Cuyahoga leaders want to spend a billion on a convention center. Does that give you confidence? No?

Dems are afraid of raising taxes on the rich even though Republicans rewarded our most wealthy extra tax relief on the national and state level.

It’s making it very hard to be a Democrat these days.

Remember that old saying: “Pray for Cleveland.”

Start again if you ever stopped.

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