It was officially announced yesterday that Ben Wood, Helen Altonn and Mary Adamski are leaving the newspaper as of July 30 after agreeing to voluntary buyouts that are said to include the maximum severance called for in the Guild contract.
I’m told Frank Bridgewater pointed out that between the three, they have more than 150 years combined experience.
“Our loss,” says one friend in the newsroom.
Earlier, I received this comment/complaint from a Starvertiser staffer.
Some lower management types were put back in the union, but now have one day — one day! — seniority over the Advertiser hires. They weren’t given a choice. So some people who have been here more than a decade are now technically only been here five weeks. Earlier, some people were made management (without any managing duties) simply to make them easier to dispose of.
And a proposal to merge the Hawaii Newspaper Guild with a number of other bargaining units has been moving forward.
Members of the Executive Committee of the Media Workers Guild endorsed a merger outline Saturday that could create a powerhouse communications local in the West, uniting the San Francisco-based Guild, the Hawaii Newspaper Guild and Oakland-based CWA Local 9415.
The tentative outline suggests the merged local be called the Pacific Communications and Media Guild. It would be a diverse alliance, one of the largest in the CWA, with more than 5,000 members drawn from industries including newspapers, language services, broadcasting, cable TV and regional, long-distance and cellular telephone service.
The units involved: Hawaii Newspapers (three bargaining units), Hearst (San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate), MediaNews Group (three bargaining units), McClatchy Newspapers (three bargaining units), California Federation of Interpreters (four regions), Printing Trades (multiple units), Guild Freelancers, New Media (online news and nonprofits), Radio and TV (KPFA), Cable Communications (Comcast), Telephone (Bell legacy), Long-Distance (AT&T), Mobile Communications, Manufacturing, etc.
And, speaking of California, former Advertiser & Star-Bulletin reporter Rick Daysog certainly hit the ground running in his new job at the Sacramento Bee. Check out his rapidly growing story list.
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The Star-Advertiser has a number of “featured blogs.” I’m wondering whether the people who write those blogs (a) are paid for writing them; or (b) are doing it “just for fun”; and if they’re getting paid, are they members of a union? Also, do they have a quota where they’re expected to produce a certain number of entries per week or month? (use it or lose it)
I hear that Ben Wood’s weekly column will continue, though.
The two managers retained their seniority.
And still, the former Advertiser staffers have not heard a word about their severances.
glad to see Rick Daysong is doing well.
I was simply crushed, well maybe more like poleaxed, when I read tonight that Ben Wood would be retiring! I had just been thinking what fabulous columns he writes. He somehow captures the excitement and magic of living in Hawaii. Ben, I am so sorry that I did not post you a comment for every one of your fabulous columns. What a wrenching loss for our community! You are my favorite part of the new paper, and in 2 days you will be gone! Auwe! Auwe! Aiyaaaahhh! My family and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Me ke aloha nui pumehana! Xie xie ni Wood Xiansheng! Doh jeh Doh jeh! Okagesama de Wood-sama! Doomo arigato gozaimasu… Merci beaucoup, M. Wood! Vielen danke, Herr Wood! (Brita likes that one and is smiling!) Grazie tanto, Senor Wood! Congratulations on your buyout and retirement! But, forgive me for being so sad. Tears are rolling down my face. You have been magnificent!