IAPE 1096, the union that represents editorial staffers at The Wall Street Journal and other Dow Jones properties, issued the following:
IAPE members, it has been a difficult week at Dow Jones. On Tuesday, members in Publishing and Platforms and News – Platforms departments were advised management intends to merge Publishing Editors and Platform Editors into “a single multiskilled digital production department.” Exciting news, until management got to the part about inviting editors to volunteer for layoffs.
News management intends to reduce staff by ten positions when this desk merger plan is implemented in August—from a group of some of the most-tenured employees at The Wall Street Journal, IAPE members who have worked for Dow Jones for longer than 20, 30, even 40 years.
Executive Production Editor Simon Wells and Managing Editor Liz Harris quickly herded editors out of a New York conference room—and off a Google Meet session—because they needed to begin holding individual meetings with staffers to explain details of each member’s potential severance package.
“You can go away now,” Harris said.
A few hours later, the IAPE office received layoff notices for four members from Global Business Operations. Between those four members, Dow Jones is erasing more than 70 years of experience.
As one layoff recipient told the union, “It was striking to see the number of highly qualified, deeply capable, and long-tenured women on the list.”
Which brings us to today. Dow Jones has informed the union that “a significant change” will take place in Technology departments, resulting in staff reductions in some global locations and a shift of teams to strategic office hubs.
28 IAPE-represented positions will be eliminated.
It’s not the layoffs that get us—IAPE members are all too familiar with Dow Jones cutting jobs month after month. It’s the greed.
Quarter after quarter, Dow Jones and News Corp management praises staff for their contributions to the continued success of this company. Just last month, CEO Almar Latour touted hefty increases in revenue, EBITDA and margins compared to the same period last year.
“If we keep investing in the strength of our news, data and analytics and continue to embrace flexibility and accelerate cross-company collaboration, we will be well prepared for whatever changes the future may bring,” Latour said in his email to Dow Jones staff.
Less than 30 days later, the future has brought layoffs of 42 IAPE-represented employees, and several more from the non-union ranks.
“Thank you for everything you do,” Latour wrote. “Keep going.”
Yeah. Right out the door, apparently.
