Hallelujah!!
star-ledger
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The nightmare is finally over! Last night the union representing The Star-Ledger's drivers voted overwhelmingly to accept a contract agreement, which was the final hurdle to preventing the newspaper's sale or closing. That means that I will be getting my buyout after all.
This is a bittersweet victory. It means that before the end of the year I will be leaving The Star-Ledger after almost 20 years. You make a lot of friends over that span of time, and I'll miss seeing them on a daily basis. The paper is going to be losing a lot of good people, and it's going to become a seriously scaled-down publication. Also, this effectively marks the end of my 35-year newspaper career, since every other paper in the country is facing the same problems and is cutting back on staff too. It's not going to be easy to find a new job in this economy, but at least my one-year salary package gives me some breathing room to find something decent.
Next Tuesday I'll be going to the Red Cross to renew my CPR certification, which will be the last step toward getting my personal trainer certification, so hopefully I'll be getting some training work soon. I hope the certification will give me a leg up on possibly finding work with a fitness-related publication.
I want to thank all of my Fitsters for your prayers and expressions of support and encouragement in this stressful time. Believe me, they've been a big help.
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on 10/8/2008
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10.7
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A week from hell
star-ledger, depression, workouts, adrenaline
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Please bear with me while I vent. I promise there will be a fitness angle in here somewhere.
This week we Star-Ledger staffers got some devastating news. The publisher announced that unless some drastic cost-cutting measures are adopted, the paper will be put up for sale on Oct. 1. While the present owners, the Newhouse family, have a no-layoff policy, a new owner would likely cut the staff drastically and cut pay and benefits for those who remain.
The only way the sale can be avoided is if 200 employees, a little more than a quarter of the staff, accept buyouts, and if the drivers and mailers unions accept some major contract concessions. Under the buyout offer, we would receive a year's salary and benefits if we agree to leave by the end of the year. However, even if enough people apply for the buyout, if the unions don't accept the concessions, the buyout offer will be rescinded and the paper will still be sold.
Needless to say, I've been in shock for the past few days, as have all of my colleagues. I have a kid in college and a big mortgage. The Star-Ledger has been my home for almost 20 years now, and I've been in the newspaper business for my entire 35-year working life. The whole newspaper business is collapsing now due to competition from the Internet, so my chances of finding another newspaper job are essentially nil. If I leave The Star-Ledger, I'm going to have to go into another field entirely.
We've all known for a long time that the newspaper business is in trouble, and that's one reason I've been pursuing the personal trainer certification. However, I expected I would have more time to phase into it before the ax fell. And unfortunately my internship has been progressing more slowly than I would have liked, because I can only do it on weekends, and the Y only allows me to do the supervised training on new member orientations. And in the summer, people frequently cancel on w... read entire entry
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on 8/2/2008
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8.1
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Star-Ledger's Biggest Loser Challenge begins
biggest loser, weight loss, exercise, star-ledger, bob harper
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I'm psyched! Tomorrow afternoon we have the kickoff meeting for The Star-Ledger's "Biggest Loser Challenge," which I'm going to coach.
Our Human Resources Department has been sending out e-mails and putting up flyers for the past week. Tomorrow we'll be taking signups for the contest and organizing teams. The company is providing workout space and some equipment, and will be providing prizes for the individual participants and teams who lose the most weight and the greatest percentage of weight. I will be giving a pep talk, telling how I lost 60 pounds myself and sharing my tips on how others can lose weight. I will be demonstrating some exercises that contestants can do on their own.
I'll be donating a prize of my own: Tonight I had the opportunity to meet "Biggest Loser" trainer Bob Harper at a signing for his new book, "Are You Ready?" at Barnes & Noble in Paramus. One of the winners will receive my signed copy of his book.
Looking forward to telling you all about the success stories in our contest.
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on 4/2/2008
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12.5
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