Friday, March 7, 2008

There may yet be hope


From Editor and Publisher:

A real journalism sweat shop busted:

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003719291


I'm hoping my friends still in the business keep track of the real hours they work. Someday a class action suit will be filed with the State of Michigan and a lot of them should get some nice retro and overtime pay.

It is simply wrong that a newspaper should require workers to work beyond the hours allowed in state law. Someone should call the state and complain. Maybe I'll have time next week.
I should have organized a union there years ago.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Quotas?
Altered time cards?
Does anyone at The Journal speak Chinese?

To be fair, editors don't alter time cards at The Journal — they order reporters to do it.

Maybe it's time to put a small, unobtrusive mark on every time card they fill out that really isn't true, or involves comp time.

then, when the forensic bean counters come back through for the lawsuit, there will be a bread crumb trail.

:)

Anonymous said...

Ha! Editors at The Journal have their hands full with English, much less Chinese. However, the act of treating employees like machines transcends language and culture.

Newhouse is no stranger to the friendly, helpful folks at Wage and Hour -- maybe both will soon be happily reacquainted in Flint.