I’ve been outside the Oregonian for the past hour, trying to get a sense of people’s reactions to this morning’s news of at least 100 buyouts for the staff. There have, admittedly, been one or two “creative” responses to my questions, but for the large part, people have been very forthcoming. And polite.
Columnist S. Renee Mitchell says: “I love what I do. I haven’t looked at the offer yet, I’ve been at the Gang Violence Task Force meeting all morning.”
Is she going to accept a buyout?
“I have no idea. I’d be really torn. I love my community and I’ve been able to do some great work in this place. We’re luckier here at the Oregonian than at a lot of other newspapers, where they have just laid people off with a month’s notice,” she says. “I think the buyout offer is testament to Newhouse and Stickel in particular, in that they have treated people like a family, to how much they care about the people who have given their lives to this place.”
Others are trying to decide on the offer. One woman, who preferred not to be named, told me she’s been working in advertising at the O for 31 years. “It’s a tempting offer,” she said. But when asked if people were shocked, she said no. “People at this point are really more concerned about whether it makes sense financially to go sooner than they had planned,” she said. “But it’s not a depressing place to be.”
“It’s a very very good offer,” said advertising credit worker Ray Gnann. “There hasn’t been a package like this ever, I don’t think.”
Another woman has decided to accept the buyout.
“I’m eligible for it and I plan to take it,” she said. “It’s really an appealing offer for younger people. I’m 30, I’ve been here five and a half years, I get a year’s pay and 2 years’ medical for my kid, are you kidding me? I’m totally hire-able elsewhere. But for me it’s so confusing because why would you want to get rid of your younger talent? Of course, I may end up taking the offer but being at the bottom of the list.”
From people I know who have worked there, the Oregonian has always been a benevolent employer, and this buyout offer certainly shows that. Also included will be retraining for those who stay. Where else could you get a situation like that now days.
As Renee Mitchell pointed out, the staff have been treated as family for a long time, and yet at other papers they’re just laying people off with not much notice. So a severance of this magnitude seems a pretty good thing for those who’ve devoted their lives to the success of the “O.” And again from the people I know who’ve worked there they certainly do deveote their lives.
One sad thing, though, Matt. Looks like the opportunities for milkshakes there are getting smaller (and fewer).
“Of course, I may end up taking the offer but being at the bottom of the list.”
This doesn’t make sense.
Also, aren’t all paper-killing entities dead yet? They should be.
I really would have a appreciated a little background on the buyouts themselves. I don’t think you really want me to leave your site and go to the O to learn what happened, but that’s what I did.
Also, you ostensibly honored the wishes of the woman who preferred not to be named, but then referred to her as working in the advertising department for 31 years… Do you really think that protects her anonymity? How many people at the O fit that profile?
Totally backing off my first comment about the coverage … I wrote it before scrolling down to see the earlier blog. Mia culpa.
Yeah back off. Totally. Yeah.
Most Oregonian workers take pride in working for a daily newspaper and like their jobs, but the “family” atmosphere has some dark roots. The Oregonian busted the employees’ union many years ago and has been keeping up with industry pay scales in order to prevent union organizing as well as bleeding talent.
The interesting thing to watch will be the large number (90) of “part time” employees who often work off the clock up to a full time schedule out of devotion to their co-workers and the paper. Some of these people have been working in this status along with their full-time colleagues for more than 10 years. They have been offered a much less attractive buyout package and will likely be shouldering even more of the workload after 50 or so full-time employees depart. I doubt there will be wage claims or any other resistance – most journalists really are true believers in the fourth estate.
You mean mea culpa.