Journalists at two of Southern California’s largest newspapers are facing extraordinary staffing changes, with the Los Angeles Times ending traditional vacation policies and the Orange County Register asking reporters to deliver their own papers.
The Times surprised its staff by announcing that beginning next year employees will no longer be guaranteed a specific amount of vacation time but instead will be allowed to take time off “subject to the professional judgment and approval of your supervisor,” LA Observed reported Monday.
Times staffers, who asked not to be quoted by name, believe the new policy is aimed at reducing accrued vacation time, which the company by law must pay employees when they retire or are fired. Without the need to pay out accrued vacation time, the Times potentially could save hundreds of thousands of dollars, perhaps millions, the Times reporters believe.
With this change, the Times will likely become one of the largest companies in the country to deny guaranteed vacation time to its employees.
In Orange County, the Register asked its reporters and other employees to start delivering newspapers to subscribers.
“Employees ranging from the pressroom to the newsroom have stepped up to help by personally calling subscribers and helping to deliver papers on our biggest circulation days,” Register interim publisher Richard Mirman said. “Our goal is to ensure that all our customers receive their paper consistently and on time.”
The Register, which has suffered rounds of layoffs and lawsuits this year and was forced to shut down its Los Angeles edition, wants its reporters to help deliver papers on Sundays and holidays, including Thanksgiving Day.
Last week the Register sent letters to reporters who had previously taken buyouts telling them that severance checks will not be deposited into their bank accounts, as had been agreed, but instead could be picked up in person or received by mail.
The Register is owned by Freedom Communications. The Times is owned by Tribune Publishing, which earlier this month reported a third-quarter loss with lower advertising revenue and somewhat higher expenses. The company said it lost $156,000 compared to net income of $18.3 million for last year’s third quarter. Revenue fell 4.7 percent to $404.1 million. Total advertising revenue was down 9.5 percent to $220.8 million and digital advertising fell by 7.4 percent.
The unexpected moves by the Times and Register followed stories that Digital First Media, owner of the Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Daily Breeze and other newspapers, is trying to find a buyer for its publications. And in San Diego a local group is attempting to buy the U-T San Diego, formerly known as the San Diego Union-Tribune, and convert it into a non-profit company.