Marnie Lanning, a London Free Press staffer for more than 20 years, was pink-slipped by Sun Media today to the amazement of fellow employees.
Marnie, manager of online and classified inside sales, joined the Free Press in August of 1988.
"It's an odd move, considering as head of online sales she is integral to the web operation," says a TSF tipster. "This from managers who say online is the priority. It makes no sense. There is no one who knows the web, or print sales, better than Marnie.
"The advertising staff is shocked," says the tipster. "She was hugely popular. They are left wondering who's next."
Yet another "Merry Christmas, you're fired" casualty.
Marnie, manager of online and classified inside sales, joined the Free Press in August of 1988.
"It's an odd move, considering as head of online sales she is integral to the web operation," says a TSF tipster. "This from managers who say online is the priority. It makes no sense. There is no one who knows the web, or print sales, better than Marnie.
"The advertising staff is shocked," says the tipster. "She was hugely popular. They are left wondering who's next."
Yet another "Merry Christmas, you're fired" casualty.
Well, it's common knowledge that all sales positions in Quebecor's South-Western Region 7 newspaper group are to go under the freshly sharpened centralization axe beginning either March or April 2010: Classified AND Retail advertising, that is. (Circulation is first though, folks!)
ReplyDeleteThis reduction is either an early precursor to the impending change (and an excellent way to reduce one FTE just in time for the end of fiscal 2009), or she was axed to offset budget monies for new employees to be hired in other (more critical) papers in the region (i.e. Woodstock and Brantford). Oh, and did I mention for a lot LESS money? Kinda' goes without saying, yes?
Why am I posting this? I am SICK TO DEATH of all this BS... union employees being screwed over by weaselly lawyers, hard working press folk ousted, production departments centralized or moved off-shore, newsrooms trimmed to the bone... but I am SO not posting my name until my resume is good and ready!
Corporate has been asking many questions about all aspects of office tasking. How many coming in , to do what. they've done this before. Now with so many buildings for sale how long before everything is done via internet and housed in Toronto or London? Readers are catching on, slowly that their local community paper is going to be gone sooner than later. A real shame.
ReplyDeleteIt's been said before, when unions become stronger, Quebecor will have to listen. Editorial, press, and circulation hold the key to a profitable paper. If one is not able to be produced, maybe someone will listen. Merry Christmas. Who knew Scrooge was a real person?
ReplyDeleteDon't bother sending your resume to Metroland, Black Press or Trans Con either as they are starting to follow Quebecor's lead.
ReplyDeleteAmazing as the Peterborough Examiner is now hiring a reporter.
ReplyDeleteOf course they're hiring a new reporter. They've gotten rid of the higher-priced few, forced the remainder to pick up the slack, enforced a new (see: harder) work ethic as the norm, and then hired a newbie for peanuts. Win-win!
ReplyDeleteYou wait until they force all reporters in your papers to become instant videographers. It's already started in some regions. Try keeping up with your usual editorial workload, when you have hours of video to edit on top of it all! Oh, and with little to no training, as per the usual QMI MO. Almost forgot to mention that...
The first poster is correct. I am also privy to information to back up his or her claims. A black cloud is indeed looming.
ReplyDeleteSo when are the unions going to step in and take action? If this was 20 years ago half of Quebecor would be on strike by now!
ReplyDeleteThe guilds have absolutely no backbone these days. It's so frustrating.
It's negotiation time soon in our newspaper, and we already know that management are preparing an unprecedented and burdensome concession package, along with a 0% increase for the next several years to sweeten the deal in our region alone. All in the name of "harsh economic times."
Harsh times my ass! I've seen the profit and loss statement first hand and it's certainly not dire news!
Why are we paying our dues again?
Jez,
ReplyDeleteIf you have a union card, then you are the union. You can help provide that backbone you say is lacking in the union. It's not a challenge or a slight. It's an offer, because we can always use good men and women to help in the cause.
Rob Lamberti
Chair, Toronto Sun Unit
CEP Local 87-M
That's right, Rob. CEP can always use some fresh cannon-fodder!
ReplyDeleteY'know, I find it downright hilarious how many of the more aggressive and proactive union members have been strategically sweet-talked into management positions in order to save their own hides after the events of Black Friday. Has anyone else noticed that at their newspaper?
I was talking recently to an ex-employee (and an ex-manager), who divulged that QMI's plan all along was to undermine the union by eroding their foundation. Its far easier to fire a new manager a year from now for 'poor performance' in the light of 'economic hardship,' than to have them fire grievance after grievance at the publisher as an active union representative come 2010, when there will be mass dissatisfaction with QMI's direction...
Anyway, 'the cause' you speak of is a pointless notion now for any worker under the QMI banner. Far better to just give up and accept that PKP's "newspaper" empire is, and will always be, about offering the absolute minimum to produce a barely mediocre product.
You see, that's the problem right there. Pierre Karl is completely satisfied with poor quality. And when that kind of misguided fool is forging the direction of any company, the only direction is downward.
The unions should have been working on thwarting PKP's diabolical schemes a year ago when the first signs were evident. Now it's far too late.
That said, if you can still thrive in poor working conditions, low pay, long hours and high levels of stress, then you're the perfect candidate for the future of Quebecor's newspapers. But if you have any modicum of self respect, you need to flee this emaciated shell of a company like it was on fire. Or just wait it out I guess - especially if you're a circulation or classified employee. Of course, you could always emigrate to India. You'll find your old job waiting for you there...
Yeah, to quote Tokyo Rose, give up, G.I.! Pierre-Karl's sleeping with your wives while you try to strike fairer deals than they give the vulnerable non-unionized staff.
ReplyDelete>>>how many of the more aggressive and proactive union members have been strategically sweet-talked into management positions in order to save their own hides after the events of Black Friday. Has anyone else noticed that at their newspaper?<<<
Nope, it would be idiotic to shed the protection we worked for. In the case of some younger employees, I know they've used scare tactics to lure some over to Corporate. And then they've canned them when they felt like it (in no-brainer grievance circumstances were they still protected by collective bargaining)
If we are fighting a losing battle, to the very end the best place to be will be in a unionized environment. We've got contracts, legal advice, lawyers on par with what management has, and commitment from our membership, because they see that they're better off than the non-unionized parts of our building. I used to think management would counteract unionization by bribing the people who reject it. I was wrong. The opposite was true. I don't get it, but it certainly helps our case.
Sounds like you've given up to defeatism. Too bad.
Jim Slotek
Vice Chair
Toronto Sun Unit
Local 87-M
CEP
The biggest problem is separate unions for each paper - when each 'unit' is six or seven people, there isn't much they can do. A chainwide union would get their attention. Every reporter at every paper going on strike. Bet they'll miss CP then.
ReplyDeleteI realize this is near impossible because of all the different contracts ending at different times, but it would be the only way to fight back. Management is chainwide, the unions are individually weak.
The last poster hit the nail on the head.
ReplyDeleteJim: sure YOU feel empowered by the union's array of defensive and offensive capabilities at union HQ, but when you're practically alone on an island surrounded by shark infested waters, your boasting means next to nothing.
I'm not alone in my thinking either. Everyone here thinks this way, and after speaking to newspaper folk at many other locations, they seem to share the exact same sentiment.
This seems to point to a case of dangerously bad communication in our organization that is starting to breed an overall feeling of helplessness. Sadly, Quebecor management use this weakness to their advantage to leverage control over the union employees at each newspaper.
This can be overcome, but CEP need to step it up. Most of us just don't know what our rights are let alone what we can do about it. So much damage has already been done, and a lot of it has fallen below the union radar due to smart and unscrupulous strategizing.
We're coming into negotiation season for a lot of union members in South Western Ontario and I'm absolutely certain QMI are set to ruin us all this time around. WE NEED HELP!
With the advent of new streaming technologies, I'm surprised we all have to be this fragmented.
ReplyDeleteI am not going to talk about negotiation strategies in an anonymous public forum, but we - meaning the reps from all the papers - know what is going on and we're not stupid.
ReplyDeleteAnd the point remains, to keep your "When Animals Attack!" theme going, a hard stick may ultimately prove inadequate in a bear attack. But you'd best hang onto it if it's all you've got.
Jim Slotek
Vice Chair
Toronto Sun Unit
Local 87-M
CEP
Well, I'm glad that's all settled. Phew!
ReplyDelete