As It Cuts Jobs, Gannett Also Cuts Severance Pay

By Andrew Gauthier 

The New York Times

Last December, when the Gannett newspaper chain laid off thousands of workers, Jenny Poon was not one of them. Now she wishes she had been.

Ms. Poon, an art director at The Arizona Republic, lost her job this month in the latest wave of layoffs, as the Gannett Company, like other corporations, shed jobs to keep up with falling revenue. But rather than pay severance, as it did in previous rounds, Gannett is paying what is called supplemental unemployment benefits, which allows the company to shift part of the cost onto the states.

Advertisement

The company says that for most employees the result will be about the same–that in fact, many will get a little more, and a few could get much more. But employees are discovering that some of them, like Ms. Poon, stand to get a lot less than they would have under the old severance packages, and some will get nothing. More…

Advertisement