If They Did It: Here’s How Philadelphia Media Holdings Would Hire Scabs
Nov. 21, 2006
Contact: Stu Bykofsky
Philadelphia Media Holdings, the company that cries poverty while demanding devastating cuts from Guild members, seems to be gearing up to spend a fortune on scabs to produce our papers and drive our trucks.
The Philadelphia Weekly reported today that an ad seeking “replacement workers” (aka scabs) was recently posted on careerbuilder.com. The mystery company seeks scabs to come to an East Coast city to work as reporters, photographers, graphic artists, news assistants and truck drivers in the event of a strike. The Weekly was told that the potential strike would be in December. The Guild’s contract expires Nov. 30. A Guild member responded to the ad and got a company calling itself Strom Engineering. Asking for more information about the jobs, he learned there is an expected strike in December.
The Guild “job applicant” was told that the undisclosed company was a newspaper operation on the East Coast that “could be in Philly,” but Strom declined to be specific.
When the “job applicant” said he was interested in politics and would love to cover City Hall and government, but had no experience except for penning a few letters to the editor, he was told that may not be a problem. Send your resume along and we’ll try and take care of you, he was told.
When the caller said he had a couple friends looking for work too, including one who just got out of prison and was a great fighter, he was told to also have them send their resumes along, as there are no background checks.
The company is also advertising for scabs to drive trucks, filling in for Teamsters drivers who may also be on strike. All you need is a Class B license, the caller was told. Drivers would be asked to operate “small trucks, a UPS-type truck.”
If they got the job, the company is willing to pay reporters and other editorial employees an hourly rate based on a minimum 60-hour work week, with no benefits.
Doesn’t this East Coast newspaper company know that you get what you pay for?
“Bringing Home the News” with scab labor is not a new great era in journalism.
CORRECTION: Byko writes, “I don’t think I am the ‘Inky/DN Labor mouthpiece,’ Jon. That’s Jay Devine. I am the Guild union mouthpiece. BIG difference, see?– Sarge”