Despite having left it all on the field for Democrat candidates this election cycle, Gannett is laying off approximately six percent of its remaining news division.
According to a Poynter report, the layoffs this week were announced in late November by Henry Faure Walker, the new interim head of the news division.
Gannett owns the national newspaper USA Today and the Arizona Republic, as well as the Detroit Free Press; The Indianapolis Star; The Cincinnati Enquirer; The Tennessean, The Des Moines Register; the El Paso Times; and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel among others.
The termination of 200 employees comes just four months after the company terminated hundreds of other employees, according to Poynter.
Walker wrote an email to staff on November 17, advising them that Gannett’s news division costs were too high and that the company needed to enter the new year in a “stronger economic position,” reports Poynter.
“While incredibly difficult, implementing these efficiencies and responding decisively to the ongoing macroeconomic volatility will continue to propel Gannett’s future,” spokesperson Lark-Marie Anton wrote in an emailed statement.
According to Poynter, “In August, the company laid off 400 people and eliminated another 400 open positions. Gannett then announced another round of cuts in October including buyouts, a hiring freeze and the suspension of company contributions to employee 401(k) accounts. Employees also will be required to take a week of unpaid leave over the holidays.”
The employees have been unionizing across the country but have little hope of accomplishing anything. Many believe the push for unions and higher employee costs is further incentivizing the corporation to terminate them.