Morris Communications Co. announced Wednesday that it will reduce employee wages by 5 to 10 percent effective April 1. The reductions will affect hourly and salaried employees.
"This is very painful for us, for the Morris family,'' said William S. Morris III, the chairman of the Augusta-based company. "We've done everything we can to put it off.''
Mr. Morris said the pay cuts are designed to preserve jobs in a difficult economic environment.
"The newspaper business is facing unprecedented challenges," Mr. Morris said in a news release. "Just yesterday, after 126 continuous years of publishing, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer printed its last edition. Other newspapers have sought protection from creditors in bankruptcy court, severely cut back on their publishing schedules or abandoned the business entirely.
"Morris Communications so far has been able to avoid such far-reaching action. We continue to talk to our lenders and bondholders to seek a sustainable restructuring of our debt. But we must also do what is necessary to try to keep our operating costs in line with declining revenues."
According to the release, wage reductions will be 5 percent for those who earn less than $25,000 per year, 7.5 percent for those earning $25,000 to $50,000, and 10 percent for those earning $50,000 or more.
Morris Communications publishes 13 daily newspapers, including The Augusta Chronicle, through its Morris Publishing division. The company's other holdings include nondaily newspapers, free community publications, magazine publishing, outdoor advertising, radio broadcasting, book publishing and distribution, visitor publications and online services.
The Augusta Chronicle ©2010 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Employees with made up positions:ie Strategist, Consultant, etc should take a 100% pay cut.
Morris is so quick to judge President Obama and how the President is trying to help the economy maybe Morris should look at how he is running his own corporation. Over paying for newspapers getting into debt that is what is bringing Morris down. Simple word describes it all GREED.
He could just sell the thousands of acres that make up Wade and Millhaven that he owns, and then he could pay the hard working folks that made him rich. This just stinks. I wonder what he has personally given up ????
Do you think the Morris family will take cuts in pay too or just the worker bees?
I'm sure just the worker bees?
I hope there is some light at the end of this very dark tunnel for Morris and the general newspaper industry. Morris competes for the ad dollar, not with other dailies in the cities where they operate. That ad dollar does not generally increase because of increased choices of where and how to advertise. Some 20 years ago Morris purchased Stauffer Comm. but promptly sold off Stauffer's television stations. Hindsight is always 20/20 but perhaps if Morris had kept them and developed them they would be more diversified today and weathered the current storm. I have never heard of a TV station actually losing money.
As a Morris employee I know 1st hand as to what is going on. I have 25 plus years here. Has Mr. Morris given up some of what he owns. Yes he has. I might be taking a pay cut today. But it is better than not having a job at all. Like the employees at the Seattle Post.
As a Morris employee, I also took a pay cut. I agree, better than not having a job. But to find out by reading it in the paper? For a COMMUNICATIONS company, actually communicating with us peons leaves a lot to be desired. It's one thing to cut pay, but to just not tell us personally? Needless to say, morale among us worker bees sucks.
Yep, so true. At least we are still here - for now...
The AC Rag just is not selling like it used to do. There are so many newspapers in trouble these days. Citizen Morris would not even make a good film noir.
Morris Family..If cutting your employees salary was so painful, why didn't you tell the employees before releasing his info to the media?
I'm sure sorry to hear this.
I am proud to have started my career at the Augusta Chronicle, and feel fortunate to have worked with some really good and talented people there.
James Folker is one of the best editors I've ever worked with. Bill Kirby still sends my husband, a fellow AC alum and Kirby's fellow Sigma Nu, a birthday card every year.
Best wishes from Jennifer Brett
Teneo from CTG
At least the workers still have an income, which is much better than "0". If you haven't had the opportunity to seek employment where there is economic instability, be greatful for what you have. I'm sure many unemployed workers would have settled for a salary cut; finding a job now may take 18 monts (and in some cases, more) if they are lucky. I'll bet that Morris Communications did let workers know this was coming; perhaps the disgruntled worker did not pay attention to what was being said (meaning didn't believe it would really happen) until the public news announcement.
Nope mable8 we were told in a meeting this morning.
I guess you all think Billy (and Charles Hill) Morris have all their money tucked away and liquid. Do you honestly thing they haven't taken a HUGE hit in their worth, even if they are wealthy? The rich are the ones who have lost far more than us 'worker bees'. My family sold the family bank 20+ years ago, and some of my aunts and uncles made multiple millions as a result. Some of them now are having to sell family homes to upgrade their retirement home plan to have two meals provided each day instead of only one. You think the 'rich' (as most here think of them) aren't suffering like the rest of us? Think again. And keep in mind that they, almost exclusively, are the ones who generate jobs and subsequent income for the rest of us-- at least, the rest of us who aren't lolling around fat and happy at the government teat.
So so glad that I didn't get a job over there.
WarnedAboutOurFuture....your family couldn't live off "multiple millions"? what is your point...sympathy? Take a walk around this campus...count all the empty Morris owned buildings...but it's the economy...right
The Morris's waste more money in a day than many people make in a year. I have little or no sympathy for them, if their income dried up today. They would be able to live their lives out by selling all the useless assets and liabilities they accumulated over the years. I'm sure they have a real tuff time sleeping in their 10,000 sqft homes at night. When some of their employees will more than likely lose their homes. What's really sad are the employees of the Chronicle, a paper that still makes a healthy margin and is successful, the employees having to take this hit because the Morris's over-extended themselves. Do you really think, if the Morris's make it through this one that they will ever make it up to those who stood by? Do you think that the Morris's even appreciate those who continue to support them? This is no different those wallstreet investors who pocketed millions as their investors took the hit. Substitute owners for investors and employees for investors.
The thing that is inescapable is that most of you can't see beyond your own blunt noses. People like the Morris family may not be completely ruined by this economic mess any more than my relatives (not me, BTW) will end up out on the street. You miss the fact that they are trying to save something much larger than their own wallets in all this mess. They are trying to save companies and assets that provide employment for people like you. You think it's easy for them to just let employees go, knowing what it will mean for them and their families? It's wrenching, whether you believe that or not. I have one friend who has stopped drawing ANY income from his own business, and is living off the equity in his home so that he doesn't have to lay off any of his employees as his business tanks. That's a rich man doing that. Not everyone who has wealth is like an AIG or Enron predator. Most are not, and that's especially true in our community of idiots, which is why our local economy is still hanging in there while so many others are failing.
Aftbrn you sound like you have some hate in your message. IF it got to the point where the Morris's have to sell off items they own to survive. That means 4,000 plus people would have lost there jobs at that point. Billy Morris's arm reachs from Augusta to Alaska to London (England for the idiots). Surely you would not want to see that happen. I work in the Corp office here in Augusta, We have gone through this before. He will survive this as he has other times. I am just thankful nobody else lost there job and my badge still gets me in the door.
I do not have any ill wishes for the Morris's or any of their employees, I can only hope that all come out on top. The point I'm trying to make is that employees who are hard working are once again taking it on the chin from executives who make bad decisions. I wouldn't wish what we are going through in this country on anyone. My fear is that it is going to get worse before it gets better. I just hope that Mr. Morris, when he pulls through this doesn't for get the people who supported him and their salaries and benefits are returned to normal and then some. All to often employers take advantage of these situations to inflate the bottom line then realize that the employees have accepted it and never get compensated.
this is no different than all the other companies making cuts. in this time i'd say be happy to just have a job. if not, go out on your own and start a business.... there's more sacrifice in running an outfit than just being employed there.
Amen Petunia!!! Couldn't have said it better myself.
Hats off to the Morris bunch for keeping this thread open, even to those who would trash them personaly. That beijng said, i have stated before and again re-afirm that if this newspaper is to survive a serious look at the editorial page is in order. Real balance and fairness must be acheived and all points of veiw given equal share. Inform your readers instead of the blatant one sided attack monkeys that are so imbedded on broad Street. If you are afraid of losing the core hard right readership, what about the neglected left wing majority of Richmond county you stand to gain? I sucessfully sold newspaper advertising for 17 years, and it is always about the numbers. Bigger numbers, more advertising money. Fair and balanced reporting and editorials, more readers. Do it Chronicle. Your direction and old time ideas are losers. This community needs a quality newspaper. Become that.
If this paper would be report the news and not be so biased then perhaps a lot more folks would be customers!
If the AC goes under, who is going to report on the really important stuff like the Civil War, teenage dancers in parades, guns, racial equality in the CSRA (that's a laugh), religious and sexual preference toleration (another good one)?
Mr. Morris III, based upon the posts above, close the newspaper and teach these entitlement people a lesson. You've earned your fortune, enjoy it.
My brother works for the Macon Telegraph and told me that they just received a 3 percent pay decrease. I guess the Morris people are in a more economic depressed area than they are in Macon. Just a question for ITDoc, you are on the posts a lot. Are you really a Doc? What kind? Maybe you have stated in the past and I missed it. Just curious, no malice intended.
Anyone who wonders what the Morris family had done in Augusta should just look around at the major projects and charities in this town that they have supported -- it is pretty much all encompassing. People may not always agree with everything they say, but there is not doubt that they have been a tremendous asset to this community and we would not be where we are today if it were not for their support of countless projects. If you have any doubt, look at what they have done downtown. Do not be too quick to throw stones.
Mr. Morris has been employing a lot of people for a long time in downtown Augusta. He's also employed a lot of other people all across the country, and all you folks wondering what's he's sacrificed during this time have about as much right to tell Mr. Morris what to do with his money as the new president does: none.