USA Today forcing all of its workers to take 1 week of unpaid leave to help save money
By APThursday, February 11, 2010
USA Today mandates staff furloughs to save money
McLEAN, Va. — USA Today is forcing its staff to take an unpaid week off to help the newspaper cope with a persisting ad slump.
The newspaper’s nearly 1,500 employees must take the furloughs between Feb. 28 and July 3, according to USA Today spokesman Ed Cassidy.
Most of USA Today’s workers had to take two weeks of unpaid leave last year as part of a plan mandated by the newspaper’s owner, Gannett Co.
The company, based in McLean, had previously announced it expected to impose furloughs on a more limited basis this year.
Like most major newspaper publishers, Gannett has been hard hit by three consecutive years of falling ad revenue. That has triggered wage reductions, layoffs and furloughs because newspapers make most of their money from ads.
