Pinch Sulzberger: The Ultimate One Percenter

To be clear, us on the right enjoy the schadenfreude of the NY Times staffers suffering.

Today we have the latest example of the Times treating their employees exactly like liberals accuse people like Mitt Romney of treating his employees.

Let's start with this little tidbit:

The letter calls attention to several grievances. Last week, Times brass notified foreign citizens employed in the paper's overseas bureaus that their pensions would be frozen. In the letter, Times staffers dismayed by this decision point out to Sulzberger that some of these foreign employees, working alongside Times reporters in war zones, have "risked their lives so that we can do our jobs."

The open letter may have been prompted by this and other recent decisions, but it brought to the surface long-simmering tensions. In the past several years, staffers have faced temporary pay cuts, layoffs, and buyouts. They have worked since March without a new contract. Regarding ongoing negotiations, the letter notes that Sulzberger's "negotiators have demanded a freeze of our pension plan and an end to our independent health insurance." O'Meara said staffers did not receive a raise this year.

Hmmm, Sudden freezing of pensions, no raises, not negotiating with unions...sounds suspiciously like something the Times would write a scathing piece on if it were a corporation doing the same thing. Shall we continue?

The letter also mentions that a member of "senior management" is now leaving with "a very generous severance and retirement package, including full pension benefits." Indeed, outgoing CEO Janet Robinson -- the unnamed executive-- will reportedly take home a $15 million exit package, according to Reuters. Times staffers with stock options have seen the share price drop from over $35 at the beginning of Robinson's tenure in 2003 to less than $8 at opening on Tuesday

Wow, a woman helped run the company into the ground and still landed softly thanks to her "golden parachute" at the expense of the--dare I say it--99%? $15-million is definitely in 1% territory I'm guessing.

Yet, nothing will come of this because liberals are, well, liberals. This from the beginning of the article:

New York Times staffers unhappy with management are letting publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. know it. In recent days, more than 270 current and former Times employees have signed an open letter expressing their "profound dismay" with recent company decisions.

Bill O'Meara, president of the New York Newspaper Guild, said some staffers had considered even "more dramatic" actions.

What dramatic actions could they undertake? You know none of the staffers will sleep in a park or protest on Pinch's lawn so what options were available? They could have not made a pot of coffee after taking the last cup or not laughed at a classic Pinch joke. Or they could have followed the UN and Obama's lead and wrote another Strongly Worded Letter showing their utter disgust.

No, they almost staged a protest and stormed Pinch's office and, and, and...do nothing. Instead they almost opted to (gasp) walk out:

"There were people who wanted to storm Arthur Sulzberger's office," O'Meara told The Huffington Post. "There were people who wanted to stage a walkout."

For now, Times staffers opted for the letter, which was composed in the newsroom and posted online by the guild at saveourtimes.com. Since last week, hundreds of current staffers -- from metro reporters to foreign correspondents, arts critics to web producers -- and several Times alumni have continued adding their names.

Yeah, nothing says I'm mad as hell and not going to take it like posting a letter on an obscure website and having people add their names.

Thank God our freedom doesn't depend on these pussies.