Tuesday, January 31, 2012

LA Times: Layoffs, Sabotage and Suicides?

by Steven Mikulan on January 31, 2012

Ed Padgett was driving in the rain to a union meeting when the L.A. Times called to tell him he was fired. The pressman, a third-generation Times employee, listened in shock last December to an HR woman’s voice explain he was being dismissed for “safety violations, dishonesty and suspicion of sabotage.”

That last charge had a bittersweet irony. Padgett had been at the paper for more than 39 years and had done everything he could to help it prosper – even as members of the corporate wrecking crew that drove the paper into bankruptcy were still counting their money.

“It was similar to jumping into an icy cold pool of water,” Padgett recalls. “I felt like crying because I’d been there so damn long, but I soon got over it.” He drove on to his meeting in La Mirada, but hasn’t been back to the Times printing plant on Olympic Boulevard to clean out his locker.

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18 comments:

LaLaLand said...

Not bad Ed keep up the good work

grandspud said...


Eddy Baby,

This old tuber has been around the garden quite a few decades. My experiences in life tells me there is more about you getting fired than this story is revealing.

Now, each of us play many roles in life. Two of those roles are frequently that of employee and that of employer. In example, I currently work for a firm and at the same time I also employ two individuals (a gardener for my home and a healthcare giver for my parent.)

Following your blog the past years, I have developed opinions regarding what type employee you might have been. I can tell you one thing for sure, had my gardener ever called me some of the things you called those big Times bosses, I would have fired Pedro's ass mucho pronto.

In your own opinion, what were your best and worst attributes as an employee? I'm just curious about your perspective. I'm hoping that list does not include the act of simply hanging around and collecting a paycheck for 40-years. For that, in itself, is not an accomplishment worthy of praise.

BTW-
Are you OK dude? In the last four or five pictures you posted there is this red blotch-like thing on your left cheek. I hope it is not something serious like skin cancer or something. Maybe it is just lipstick from all those hotties like that Laura you're hangin' with at that comedy club. She is HOT!

LaLaLand said...

Hey grandpud great to hear from ya and I myself have been reading what you & ED have said and believe me when I say Ed never said anything that was not untrue about them big Times bosses ( its just that he put it in a colorful metaphorical way ) besides is it HIS fault they have thin skin...Oh as for Pedro why would he say such things about you unless he was given a reason..think about it

grandspud said...



Hey LaLaLand,

My gardener never posted crap about me on the internet then woke from his drunken stupor to profusely apologize and try and take such "colorful metaphorical" comments back. How many times have you seen that happen on this blog!

Anyway, I want to hear what Ed thinks. He has not always done the brightest of things, but I believe him to be open and in own his mind honest.

So Ed... if you were the employer of Ed Padgett, it would be interesting to hear how you would assess his performance?

Grandspud


Anonymous said...

If he was the employer there would be comments like. It's great working for you Ed, your a people person, not like the miscreants who fired you.

Anonymous said...

Anyway, I want to hear what Ed thinks. He has not always done the brightest of things, but I believe him to be open and in own his mind honest.
Maybe you ought to wait till the booze wears off before you post anything.

LaLaLand said...

Why grandpud easy there... like I said thin skinned ya know ( why you almost sound like Times mangt. )Ya know theres an old saying " if you cant stand the heat get out of the kitchen".....think about it ;)

Anonymous said...

I remember one time I was told the grandspud was newton in diguise. If my intuition is right. And it feels right. Cause he knows to much information. Just remmeber that what goes around, comes around. Grandspud not later but sooner you'll be getting you'rs.

Anonymous said...

Eddy Baby,

What about that paster???

grandspud said...



Anonymous said,

”…I was told the grandspud was newton in diguise (sic)…”


This old tuber just loves conspiracy theories! In fact Anonymous, I think you’re Mr. Padgett in *disguise (note correct spelling.) You don’t even have the balls to post your own comments on your own blog.

How fun… a surrogate Newton jousting with a surrogate Padgett on-line!
Let’s add to the fun and find out who really is who. We can start with me and call the investigation The Great Spud Hunt.

Let me start with a clue that just may be closer to the truth than you would believe. Since your written comments indicate you’re nearly illiterate, I’ll make it easy… multiple-choice.


The description that best describes The Grandspud is:

A. A high level media executive making a middle six-figure income who has so much free time he likes to screw with dimwits in the wee hours of the morning.

B. An overeducated, antisocial failure with a garbage degree from a prestigious university that loves his night security job because he can stroke himself silly while screwing with dimwits in the wee hours of the morning.

C. Not a living being at all, but rather a government developed artificial intelligence designed specifically to defeat social networks and their use in antigovernment protests/ movements and to screw with dimwits in the wee hours of the morning.

D. A highly compensated professional hired to discredit the innocent, hard working, salt-of-the-Earth presspersons of the Los Angeles Times and to screw with dimwits in the wee hours of the morning


Guess who?

grandspud said...



Now that we are having fun, let’s play another guessing game. Again, to be “inclusive” and not “discriminate” based on the mental levels here… multiple choice.


The red blotch on Ed’s left cheek (see his recent blog photos) is from:

A. Doing U-Turns under a wool blanket with one of those hot babes pictured with him at that comedy club.

B. Carpet burns received falling down condo’s stairs after a few “stiff ones.”

C. The fact that having half a brain only allows one to blush on one side of their face.

D. Flash burn from using that freakin’ camera he carries around all the time taking low lighting photos.


Grandspud

LaLaLand said...

I would say grandpud is "B" for 600$...Alex ( to the theme of Jeopardy

grandspud said...



Hey LaLaLand,

What's the matter big boy? Scared to come out and play?

"If you can't take the heat... too thin skinned... blah... blah... blah..."


Grandspud


Anonymous said...

Granspud is so intelligent. He uses a potato in the form of genatalia for his pic. That is so bright. Yeah right.

LaLaLand said...

Maybe grandpud is trying to tell us something about himself( in a not so colorful metaphorical way )

Anonymous said...

It seems grandspud left out
E. A little man hired to make life difficult for those around him who has a Napoleon Complex.
And I don't mean Captain Morgan.

Anonymous said...

He made life difficult enough for Steve. Bonus time.

Anonymous said...

My guess is someone from above told Grand Pud to cool it with his wise ass on Ed's Blog.elmspacefore