But before those 500 people join the millions of us who are out there looking for jobs in this less-than-robust economy, I'm sure they'll be gratified to know that Belo "won't stop publishing or home deliver on certain days," according to the company's chairman and CEO.
"We think with the headcount reduction and getting cost reductions that are not related to people that if we can do this successfully, we've created some runway — and we don't have to risk alienating our loyal customers who expect a paper," Robert Decherd said in a conference call Tuesday.E & P observes that "[t]he latest round of job cuts amounts to more than one-sixth of the 2,950-person workforce. At the beginning of last year, A.H. Belo employed about 3,600 people."
E & P also reports that additional measures slated for April include eliminating retirement plan matching contributions and charging those who still have jobs to park in downtown Dallas lots.
I've parked in downtown Dallas lots before. And my guess is that public transportation will reap some unanticipated benefits from this move.
Too bad the same can't be said of the 500 souls who are about to receive their pink slips.
2 comments:
David, this is scary. Two banks in our town got robbed in two days, home invasions are on the rise, and convenience stores get hit left and right. HBO had a movie a while back, I forgot the name, but the power went out in a community, and at first everyone was fine, but after awhile, panic set in, and people got paranoid. It led to violence. I am afraid that crime will begin to get out of hand, hold ups, shoplifting, muggings, and even murder, unless we can reverse this economic trend. A hungry man can be a desperate man!
Also some people tell me that they are having trouble posting comments on my site. I turned the word verification off to see what that does.
Otin,
You're right, things are getting out of control.
The movie you refer to reminds me of an old episode from the original Twilight Zone series. In it, some aliens arrange for a power failure on a typical street. At first, things were fine, but the longer the power stayed off, the more paranoid the residents got.
People's minds can get carried away the longer things are not what they are used to. If the electricity in your home went out, think of the things you would be without, things that you take for granted every day -- like light and heat (or, in the summer, air conditioning). You wouldn't be able to use your TV or your computer. You couldn't listen to your radio unless you could run it on batteries. You couldn't cook food.
And increasing crime is definitely related to hard times. You're right that things can get out of hand, especially if people are so hungry that they just don't care anymore.
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