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Jeff Bezos wants to end standard raises and gut severance at the Washington Post

PBY

Banned
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/washington-post-jeff-bezos_us_59df9245e4b00abf3646fff9?hgc

“Under the Bezos ownership, we fear a fundamental transformation is under way at the Post — one that is occurring in many other workplaces around the country, leading to economic insecurity for working people as though we are disposable or interchangeable elements in a machine,” the union bargaining committee wrote in a memo sent to Post employees on Oct. 6.

...[M]anagement wants to end the paper’s long-standing practice of across-the-board percentage annual pay raises to create an “unprecedented” merit pay system and cut severance benefits. It also refuses to increase the 401(k) match from 1 percent.

The merit system would potentially freeze even inflation adjusted increases in pay for some employees for up to 30 months while others could get up to a 4 percent increase. Management has also proposed to cut severance pay and require any employee who accepts severance to waive their legal rights. When you do away with routine raises only the superstar reporters will wind up getting them. This would leave copy editors, video editors and others who are not the face of the paper on the losing end and increase inequality within the company.


W E L P
 
Shocking that a capitalist would act capitalistically.

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rucury

Banned
The Post is an important part of American democracy at this point. Another case of unchecked greed leading to unforeseeable damage?
 

KingV

Member
This is one of the leading news papers in the world and their 401K match is 1%?!

I’m sure Amazon is matching more than that
 

bionic77

Member
It's almost like this guy and his company are bad for the country.
You are not wrong but that's how most large companies act.

And Americans being idiots most people still hate unions and instead will just blame Muslims and Mexicans when their employers fuck them over.
 

Kill3r7

Member
Kind of like the Netflix model where employees are not a family but a professional team. Sounds great on PowerPoint presentation but completely sucks for stability and long term security. Might as well make all your employees freelancers or temps.
 
Since taking over, the fortunes of the WP have improved dramatically. Sales and revenue are up, readership, content output, investments in their tech and processes, even numbers of reporters has increased which is pretty much unheard of in this day and age. I dunno if this change will actually result in people getting paid more or less, but I do know that this team clearly knows how to run a newspaper. I'm sure there are lots of people here on GAF who are also very good at running newspapers, so I guess we'll have to just wait and see who is right.
 
You are not wrong but that's how most large companies act.

And Americans being idiots most people still hate unions and instead will just blame Muslims and Mexicans when their employers fuck them over.

They're paying our wages, they say.

WE SHOULD BE SO GREATFUL, THEY SAY.

Since taking over, the fortunes of the WP have improved dramatically. Sales and revenue are up, readership, content output, investments in their tech and processes, even numbers of reporters has increased which is pretty much unheard of in this day and age. I dunno if this change will actually result in people getting paid more or less, but I do know that this team clearly knows how to run a newspaper. I'm sure there are lots of people here on GAF who are also very good at running newspapers, so I guess we'll have to just wait and see who is right.

So you're saying the staff at the WP shouldn't be rewarded accordingly for their increased success? Bezos is basically telling them to do more with less in response to them turning things around so well.
 

PBY

Banned
Since taking over, the fortunes of the WP have improved dramatically. Sales and revenue are up, readership, content output, investments in their tech and processes, even numbers of reporters has increased which is pretty much unheard of in this day and age. I dunno if this change will actually result in people getting paid more or less, but I do know that this team clearly knows how to run a newspaper. I'm sure there are lots of people here on GAF who are also very good at running newspapers, so I guess we'll have to just wait and see who is right.

Every single fucking time.
 
Since taking over, the fortunes of the WP have improved dramatically. Sales and revenue are up, readership, content output, investments in their tech and processes, even numbers of reporters has increased which is pretty much unheard of in this day and age. I dunno if this change will actually result in people getting paid more or less, but I do know that this team clearly knows how to run a newspaper. I'm sure there are lots of people here on GAF who are also very good at running newspapers, so I guess we'll have to just wait and see who is right.
Reconfigured pay structuring and severance packages has almost 0 to do with running a paper or why the Post has great readership.
 

Boylamite

Member
Since taking over, the fortunes of the WP have improved dramatically. Sales and revenue are up, readership, content output, investments in their tech and processes, even numbers of reporters has increased which is pretty much unheard of in this day and age. I dunno if this change will actually result in people getting paid more or less, but I do know that this team clearly knows how to run a newspaper. I'm sure there are lots of people here on GAF who are also very good at running newspapers, so I guess we'll have to just wait and see who is right.
I wonder if other major events recently helped the post with their subscription numbers? Like some kind of pressing need for journalism? Nah, forget i said anything.
 
The one thing I knew when I graduated college is that Amazon was the last place of all prestigious tech companies I wanted to work at. Even then it had a reputation for overworking their employees, and having very severe employee reviews where if you weren't constantly giving more to the company in terms of value, they would put you in a state where you were pretty much guaranteed to be fired in six months.

Till this day, I don't think anything has changed. On the contrary, their once amazing online store has become something I'm despising more and more as the years go by.
 
Since taking over, the fortunes of the WP have improved dramatically. Sales and revenue are up, readership, content output, investments in their tech and processes, even numbers of reporters has increased which is pretty much unheard of in this day and age. I dunno if this change will actually result in people getting paid more or less, but I do know that this team clearly knows how to run a newspaper. I'm sure there are lots of people here on GAF who are also very good at running newspapers, so I guess we'll have to just wait and see who is right.

Empathy must cost a goddamn fortune.
 
It sucks for the people, and there's no getting around that. But the dude has a right to do what he wants with his money, including not pouring so much into the Post.

The conversation does change a little if the thing is making money with raises and severance, if only because why mess with what's working?

Bezos bought the Post because from what I've been able to gather about the situation, it seems like most newspapers that are still around operate like charities (with billionaires buying them and pouring money in). Until some data shows otherwise, I'd imagine it's still not breaking even.

Reminds me of the U.S. Postal Service wanting to cut Saturday delivery. Yes, people would work less (and make less money) because of it, but if its a step needed for it to break even, I think its at least worth looking at.
 
https://ilsr.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ILSR_AmazonReport_final.pdf

I'll just leave that there. I read all 79 pages of it, it's absolutely disgusting what Amazon is doing to the economy, local communities, brick and mortar retailers, and most importantly how they abuse the employer/employee relationship.

There was a thread about that report not too long ago, sadly it only went a couple of pages then dropped from existence on NeoGAF.
But I can order ramen noodles and get it in 2 days therefore I don't care about the bad things Amazon does.
 

Nategc20

Banned
https://ilsr.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ILSR_AmazonReport_final.pdf

I'll just leave that there. I read all 79 pages of it, it's absolutely disgusting what Amazon is doing to the economy, local communities, brick and mortar retailers, and most importantly how they abuse the employer/employee relationship.

There was a thread about that report not too long ago, sadly it only went a couple of pages then dropped from existence on NeoGAF.
Well....so it's just another Wal-Mart?
 
This is standard practice across the media industry now a days. I know. I work in this industry and haven't received a raise in years, even as our bosses got larger and larger holiday bonuses.

When you try and fight it, they fire you and hire someone for minimum wage instead.

The extra money goes directly into shareholder pockets so that the executives get their eight-figure year-end bonuses.

Also WaPo having a 401k match at all is a rarity in this industry.
 
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