Outsourcing the Pressroom

E-mail arrived ninety minutes ago that I found rather disturbing from a real writer, but the information was really of no shock but disturbing nonetheless, considering the state of the newspaper business the last fourteen years.

Eighteen months ago I had a terrible feeling regarding the health of the Los Angeles Times and my future employment with the newspaper. My options were to ignore my gut feelings and tell myself everything will remain the same, or to be prepared for change within the next few years and make lifestyle changes, I have chosen the latter.

With balances on six credit cards I decided I needed to cut out my habit of charging things I really didn’t need, just buying things I wanted for that instant gratification it gave me. Four of my six credit cards have been paid off, but it was not without pain from the lack of credit, after cutting the cards up.

I’m told some of the information I share on the blog causes many at the newspaper to become fearful for their livelihood. That is not my intention, but if the truth causes my co-workers to be prepared for change, then so be it.

Back in 1992 the employees of the Los Angeles Times witnessed the first of many buyouts, which have not ceased, with the closing of the Chatsworth Production Facility in 2006. The Transportation Department at the Times has been outsourced to Ryder, the truck mechanics were also let go with the drivers. The entire nursing staff was eliminated, the janitors outsourced, pressroom utility crew outsourced, graphic design department outsourced to India, the mailroom reduced to mostly part-time workers, and the list goes on and on.

The Daily Breeze in Torrance, CA. has outsourced its complete printing operations to Southwest Offset in Gardena, CA., will the Los Angeles Times be next? The San Francisco Chronicle will stop producing its newspaper on May 1st 2009, with two hundred and thirty union pressmen losing their jobs, as Transcontinental takes over production of the newspaper.

As Transcontinental puts it, “We’ve got all the muscle you need. Publishers who outsource their newspaper printing to Transcontinental are assured of a product that will more than satisfy the expectations of their readers and the new needs of advertisers with respect to overall quality, use of color, flexibility and turnaround times.

Transcontinental Printing is the seventh largest printer in North America. We combine leading edge print and post press technologies with a unique, customer-focused management approach. Our new outsourcing model is available to newspaper publishers across North America.
A Transcontinental Printing partnership means you won’t have to do the heavy lifting alone.”

Management at the newspaper may tell us our jobs are secure and we can not reduce staff any further, I’ll tell you, be prepared by having your affairs in order just incase we outsource the production of the Los Angeles Times.