Why share the savings?

Buffalo Newspaper Guild members recently offered handwritten notes to the publisher about why they deserve a share of the savings the Guild has helped this company create (nearly $6 million since 2009, including buyout and healthcare savings this year, and the loss of roughly 100 full-time employees). The original notes were presented to Stan Lipsey. Here is what our members said:

• Every day when I’m at work, I see my co-workers doing their best to deliver a worthwhile newspaper to our readers. Each of them is doing so much more without complaint than just a year or two ago. Because they care, management should, too.
• I am proud to work at The News. I work hard and would appreciate a pay increase. Acknowledgement of hard work from management would send a positive message to myself and my co-workers.

• We are the ones who actually put out a product for you. Without us, there is no news, therefore, we deserve the same, if not more, than those already receiving bonuses and raises for their service toThe News.
• Please share the savings because I am a skilled professional who deserves to be compensated fairly. I have a unique skill set that I went to school to obtain. I devote many of my working hours to working forThe News and you are lucky to have me. I also just bought a house and need to provide for my family.
• Employees are working harder than ever to make The Buffalo News a quality product. Why is it so unheard of to give us a raise? We deserve it.
• Despite our dramatically dwindling staff, and old equipment, we continue to pour ourselves into our work to create the best paper we can. Our passion for our paper remains strong despite all that we have given up and we keep putting out an excellent product that allows others to sell ads and make money! We’re not asking for much in return.
• Factoring in inflation, we have been taking pay cuts for years at a paper that annually makes profits of double digit millions of dollars.
• Over the years, the Guild has given up a lot. Example: Christmas bonus, DM wage decrease, zero wages, and on the health, Henry Davis has done a good job finding ways to save the company even in this round because of our search for another provider. Blue Cross Blue Cross Shield made an offer that was good, and this shouldn’t be held against us for an increase in wages, and as you know, some departments are full of part times and an increase is needed and deserved. We are all carrying a heavy work load.
• My reporting helps strengthen the community we live in and so does the reporting of my colleagues.There’s really no way to assign a dollar amount to that. It is priceless. But a modest raise would go a long way toward making us feel valued by the paper.
• Having work at 110% capacity for years here, I think a raise in pay is more than justified. And I speak for many in all departments.
• We deserve something, anything, to show that management appreciates the hard work the smaller staff is doing.
• We’re working harder than ever in this age of uncertainty, and yet our compensation, especially pay, has failed to keep pace with the cost of living. It seems only fair and just that management share some of the savings we helped to create.
• Why do I deserve a share of the savings? I’m doing more work now out of necessity due to the loss of manpower via in-house promotions, buyouts and decision not to replace a permanent, part-time copy editor just to make sure sports copy still looks as good in print and online as our readers have come to expect of our award-winning sports section, something I have had a hand in producing over the years.
• Those of us who are left here after the buyouts, that WE helpedThe News put together, are doing more work than ever. OT? What’s OT? We DESERVE OUR SHARE. Proud, proud Guild member and proud Buffalo News employee
• The reporters, editors and photographers who create the product we sell deserve fair compensation.
• Is it sooo hard for management to have a heart?
• Why?To prove that you have a conscience, or are Warren Buffett’s words about the importance of newspapers nothing more than lip service? He’s the second wealthiest person inAmerica, for heaven’s sakes. And he somehow scraped together $5 billion to bail out Goldman Sachs and $5 billion more to bail out Bank of America, both of them reckless. And he can’t afford a 1% raise for us? Shameful…
• It comes down to respect. Do you respect the hardworking journalists who put out this paper and website every day? After so many people have left, with more and more asked of fewer and fewer, a pay raise or at the very lease, a signing bonus, is a matter of respect. Does this company value the work of its editorial staff?
• I’ve been busting my back for the company.The least it can do is share the savings so I can afford to see a chiropractor.
• Less people = more work, SHOULD = more pay.
• My husband and I currently have two kids in out-of-state colleges. One who is studying to be a lawyer, the other an engineer. For one, we could use the money to keep them in college, which would be an investment in WNY, which is my second reason for believing my family deserves a share of the profits. You see, they plan on returning to WNY to contribute to the economy here, but if we can’t keep them in college, slim are the chances they could impact the economy in a positive way.
• Because all of us in recent years have done more work – because of staff reductions – for less money, given the small or nonexistent raises we’ve received compared with a 3% inflation rate!
• While working harder, longer and under more stressful conditions, we Guild members are not receiving wages that keep up with the rising cost of living. We take pride in the product,The Buffalo News, so with fewer employees, we push ourselves and stress ourselves to make sureTBN is as great as ever, but we get the feeling that the efforts/rewards are all one-sided. Eg:Las Vegastrips.
• In a year when The Buffalo News is projected to make a $10 million profit, I fail to understand why it would refuse its hardworking employees a modest increase in pay – one that does not even keep pace with inflation. Guild members, more than anyone else, are the reasonThe News has remained profitable in this economy and at this time of change in the industry. We deserve to share in the company’s savings, and its success.
• I’m a dedicated worker with my plate overflowing with work. From print to online stories, to multimedia projects, I put my heart and soul  into my work forThe News. With the company on track to make $11 million this year, your staff deserves some appreciation.
• I notice an awful lot of empty desks on the 3^rd and 4^th floors. I remember when there used to be people there. I’ll bet their departures have saved this paper a lot of money in recent years. Anyway, I look forward to that raise that keeps pace with the steady rise in cost of living.
• We are all doing more work with fewer employees. Without an increase, our wages will continue to slip behind inflation.
• In my 9 years atThe Buffalo News, I have worked hard to find good stories from news to features to multimedia – and make connections with the community that make us relevant and integral to it.
• News staffers are willing to work their butts off to produce a great newspaper. We just want a fair shake from management.
• SHARE WHAT’S FAIR!
• I am a mother of two young children. It seems the price of feeding and clothing them keeps getting more expensive by the month. I want to be able to provide for them.
• I deserve more because I’m doing more for the company. I’ve produced more work for the newspaper and for the website than ever before.
• We’ve done more work with fewer journalists. We deserve what is fair! We deserve a share of the profit!
• Our department has lost two very important employees through buyouts. Since they have not been replaced, we all needed to pick up their workload. We are working even harder now and still providing an excellent product. We are all dedicated to this company. I deserve a share of the savings.
• My coworkers and I all put forth more than 100% effort to put out the best paper we can. We’ve doubled or tripled up on jobs and responsibility to make up for the drastic cutbacks of people in the newsroom. We do it, because we believe our work is important.That must be worth something.
• We’ve done our part … now it’s time to do yours. Share the savings with your hardworking employees!!
• I am grateful for my job and I know you appreciate all of the hard work your staff generates. We all loveThe Buffalo News and I pray this will all be resolved in a fair way for all.
• Please consider the enormous contributions ofThe News’ staff in making this newspaper profitable despite very difficult times. A very small raise is simply fair.To freeze our wages, given the sacrifices and efforts of News employees is both unjust and demoralizing. Let’s face the future with cooperation.
• The Buffalo News’ successes can be assigned to the creative talents of its staff.The paper has the resources to be fair. It should do so.
• The role of reporters has expanded greatly in the Internet age: • I blog • I do chats • I do videos; I edit my own blogs because the editing staff is smaller. I do more work to make the product viable. I deserve more of the savings WE both helped create. (New note by same person:) Everyone is doing more work to keep The News viable in tough times. Yesterday, I did column, tweet, three blogs, audio and video on the death of Kent Hull. Less publicly, all Guild people are doing similar work. We all deserve a share of savings we create.
• I’ve always joked thatThe News thatThe News is more than a job – it’s a way of life. And I know many of my colleagues feel the same way. I’ve always valued my job here and my friendship with you. And I really appreciate your efforts to work this all out.
• We want what’s fair. Thank you.
• The Buffalo News is nothing without its people. We are a dedicated group of professionals who have stepped up our productivity in the face of a shrinking workforce. We are loyal and committed to our jobs. We have also helpedThe News save a substantial amount of money. Management can show us it values all of these efforts by us by sharing in the savings.
• Your employees at The News are working harder than ever to turn things around. We deserve a raise even if it is just 1%.
• We are working 10 times harder than we used to, doing the work of more than one or even two people each. My own beats are covered by THREE people at Business First. But I’ve worked hard to make sure we aren’t behind.The least you can do is recognize and reward our hard work. We aren’t asking for much. Just the respect we deserve.
• I feel I deserve a raise because I’m doing triple quadruple the work at the same price as I have gotten for the past 2 ½ years.
• As this company has gotten smaller, people have continued to do more and more work. As this company has gotten smaller, it seems to have gotten harder and harder to get a “good job” from management. If you expect us to continue to do more with less, then you need to show some appreciation – preferably in our paychecks.
• I take at least 100 calls in a 4-hour shift, close to 200 when I work a full day. I personally see the volume of payments I take each day in comparison to my daily wage. I feel ridiculously underpaid for the money I bring toThe News.
• We are all in this together!! You win! We win!!
• It’s about doing what is right. It’s that simple. We deserve a raise, you have the money. Please do the right thing. Thank you.
• We are not asking for the world. We would like a small raise in recognition of our hard work and increasing workload. We have helped this company make millions of dollars and to save millions of dollars. I have a child in college and one in high school, plus a mortgage and other increasing costs. I’m spending more time at work, less with family. Please listen to us!
• I have two young children that I need to send to daycare every day in order to come to my job at The News. I work extra hard now that so many colleagues have taken the buyout. Daycare costs and cost-of-living expenses have risen, but my pay has remained the same. It is getting harder to meet needs. Do what is right and fair.
• I deserve a raise because, after working here for more than 40 years have given back raises, bonuses, and am working harder than ever. When we started the Sunday paper, magazine, etc., we gave our all and eliminated our competition – the CX – thereby giving you hundreds of millions in profits. Yes, times are difficult, or less ideal, for The News, but you’re still making millions. Giving bonuses, hiring management people, while we lose ground on inflation. BE FAIR!
• Guild members have worked hard throughout the years to enable The Buffalo News to make millions of dollars in profits. Now, with so many of our co-workers having taken early buyout, we are working harder than ever. As a single head of household, I am struggling financially. We need and deserve a raise!
• We are the backbone and the guts of this operation, and we deserve to be compensated!
• The Guild has saved this company millions in the last two years. We’ve shed nearly 100 full-time Guild jobs. Reporters like me now cover three beats and do work for the Web as well. I continue to help make this newspaper a valuable product. Please respect that dedication and share the savings.
•  Because we love our families just as much as you do …
• After 26 years at The News, I was recently told I have to work every Saturday night – which makes it harder for me to do my job and is a hardship to my family. I am sacrificing for this company – that must be worth something.
• We are working harder and making this company more profitable! Every year we don’t get a raise is a pay cut – with the increased cost of living. We deserve better.
• We deserve to share in the savings because we are working harder than ever. We saved you millions, literally.
• We need to keep up with inflation and the cost of living, but even more than that:
• I am dedicated to quality customer service. My desk brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars each year! Every day I provide a positive experience for customers in the interest of maintaining the integrity of The News. So I think I deserve to share in the savings, as proposed by the Guild.
•  We are the “dedicated” employees doing triple the work because of money-saving buyouts. What we’re asking for as a raise isn’t even enough to keep up with inflation. I don’t think what we’re asking for is at all  unfair. It is well deserved.
•  We continue to put out a good product with a reduced number of members. We take pride in what we do and deserve to be rewarded for what we do.
•  The talents and skills of Guild employees are at the heart ofThe News’ success. You have the means to do right by your employees. Please do so.
•  The amount of the proposed wage increase (1% percent) is actually more symbolic to the employees. We have foregone raises for the past two years. Even a 1% raise for the next two years will not cover the increased cost of living, so employees have accepted that their paychecks will buy less. Employees need to feel valued by management and recognized as an important part of the company.
•  Fifteen people have left my department.The remaining 14 are doing 2 to 3 times the work at 2009 wages – while paying 2011 prices in housing, food, medical care and more. Meanwhile managers get bonuses! Be fair.
•  Here in Classified Advertising, it never ceases to amaze me how there are always seems to be money available to hire another manager (or another non-affiliated employee) but when it comes to the Guild members, it appears once again the pot is empty.The union has done its part to save this newspaper a lot of money and help the company remain quite profitable. Now, it’s time for News executives to reciprocate. We’re certainly not looking for a manager’s salary. We’re not looking to be unreasonable. We’re just looking for what is fair.
• We now have to cover 2 – 3 different jobs/desks and don’t get anything for it. We can’t even work OT. You keep piling on the work ‘til we break.
•  Since 2008, I’ve taken on triple the workload, gave up bonuses, etc. – the cost of living keeps going up and I have not gotten a raise. I make money less money today than I did several years ago. I treat customers well, and I am a good representative for The News. I love my job and would love to feel both appreciated and be compensated for my  hard work. Please give us what we deserve and boost the morale of your entire workforce.
• I’m covering more “beats” than before and generated more copy, a lot of it high profile.The paper’s profits are no longer in the stratosphere, but they are still significant. We’re deserving of a raise for our hard work, which includes, for many people, working more than 37.5 hours a week without overtime, out of a sense of duty and pride. The News can show it appreciates that by giving us a cost-of-living raise.
•  Taking on the work of 5 full-time employees. Would like just a fair compensation for doing that.
•  With all of the downsizing that has occurred in many departments over the last few years,  many of us are now doing the work of three people with no compensation.
•  Because I’m great; so is my boss. I work really hard; am appreciated for it, just not monetarily.
•  I deserve a share of the savings either by pay raise or lump sum bonus because I do the work that three people used to do, and I have over and over proved myself to be an asset to this company.
•  We gave back raises in 2009 on the premise thatThe News was struggling to make a profit.The News went on to earn upwards of $15 million that year. None of the raise was returned to the employees. Fairness would suggest a 2% raise in the new contract to make up for previous concessions made in good faith. We’re not demanding anything unreasonable, especially as we all work harder to fill the work load of more than 30 colleagues that departed in the past two years.Thanks for hearing us out.The News is a great newspaper. Let’s keep it that way.
•  I am a dedicated and hardworking employee.
•  The Buffalo News always felt like a second home. Do well at your job, try to succeed, and be respected by the company. Don’t feel that way anymore.
•  Managers have not had a raise in a few years, also, while working way more than is reasonable. Beating your horses and not giving them more water is anti-productive.
•  We employees put so much of ourselves into our jobs because we take pride in what we do, and we care about The News. We deserve to share in the savings while The News continues to make a profit.
•  Now is the time for management to manage. Come up with innovative ways to maximize our vast resources rather than trying to balance the budget on the backs of the workers who are stretched to the breaking point, carrying out management’s current agenda, which isn’t making enough money. It’s convenient to blame the bad economy and the state of the industry, but we are a monopoly in WNY and have far more resources than other media. Give us our raises.
•  The Guild creates the content for this successful newspaper. Please acknowledge that by treating us fairly.
• Every year without raises we work at this paper means a loss in the pay we actually have to live on and raise our children on. Every facet of daily life (gas, food, tuition, clothing) costs more with each passing year. Do right by us and our families.