Great read. Thanks for posting. 

Wow. What an article the Berger piece is. Although I’ve toned it down considerably over the years (at least for me) I make no secret here of absolutely despising Rogers as a company and for its execrable management.
 
I never liked the way they rip-off their customers, all the while promising excellent “service.” That’s not what I’ve heard from most I’ve spoken to (RadioWiz being the sole exception!) Their cable and especially their cell phone offerings are way over priced, and although Bell also does the same thing, that’s not much of a recommendation.
 
Another reason they’re hated is the way they treat their workers, including one who is my best friend. I don’t think he’ll mind if I tell his story here, as long as I don’t use his name. Chances are you wouldn’t know it anyway. He was one of those “behind-the-scenes” types who make a place work but never gets much notice.
 
He worked for a station in Toronto and he was there for just under 25 years. But it wasn’t until it was taken over by Ted’s Red Evil Empire that his career ended. Now if you lasted in one place in broadcasting for a quarter of a century, you must have been doing something right.
 
This poor sucker worked 12-15 hour days and even from home on weekends, for no extra pay, because he cared a great deal about the product and that’s what it took to get the job done due to perennial short-staffing. Everyone, including yours truly, told him he was crazy to put all this effort in, because it wasn’t being appreciated.
 
Yet he continued. Until one day in 2009, when he got a phone call at 8:30 AM asking him to come into a meeting in another building at 11 o’clock that morning. (He’d been up working since 6:30 that morning on some stuff for the station.) Believe me when I tell you he had no idea at all what was coming. There was no hint. In fact, he’d been given a raise just about 6 months before as a reward for his hard work.
 
This dedicated drone (he won’t mind me using that term) showed up for work early to get a start on his day, and went over to the building at the appointed time. Waiting there was an HR rep and a lawyer, who were visibly angry that he’d gone to work first, leaving some of his possessions behind at his desk.
 
They wasted no time in giving him the “you’ve had it” speech.
 
He was stunned. What had he done to get fired after all those years? Both Rogers reps studiously avoided the question because they knew there was no answer. He later found out that he wasn’t the only one let go that day – 10 other very talented people joined him on the discard pile. They had only one thing in common – they all made over a certain amount of salary and they were all gone on the same day.
 
It was a salary dump and as his friends had warned, all that extra work for free, all that care about the quality of the product, was in vain. The “Reason For Termination” on his official form was that odious term “restructuring,” a short form for “because we want to save cash.” This wasn’t like what happened in the Dowbiggin piece. What they paid him amounted to a pittance in compared to the amount of work he did for them. 
 
To add insult to injury, they refused to let him back into the building to get his stuff or to say goodbye to colleagues he’d shared the place with for 24 1/2 years. And he never got to take some of his own material back with him.
 
And yes, like Mr. Berger in his blog, he, too, was offered a pittance in severance and had to seek legal help to get what he was owed. After 25 years, you can imagine how much that equaled to, about the only good thing regarding this sordid little tale.
 
They replaced him with someone with half his experience and not as much talent. But in the devil’s bargain that is Rogers, the newcomer was much, much cheaper and that was more than good enough for them.
 
I’ve since heard similar stories from so many ex-Rogers employees, it could fill a book. That’s how this company operates. And if you wonder why I despise them so much, that’s just part of the story.
 
Yes, thanks for posting that link. It was eye-opening. Even if not surprising.

Media Observer wrote:

@RA...I didn't post the link to defend Rogers...far from it!

It caught my eye because it shows that financial ineptitude seems to be a chronic problem.  As to how they treated (still) their talent;  I am in total agreement with your take.

Sorry - didn't mean to convey that I thought you were defending them - although there'd be no objection from me if anyone does. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.

I just thought the Dowbiggin piece at least came with an explanation of the job losses - too much money thrown at the NHL in a deal most said at the time couldn't possibly make financial sense. 

What happened to Berger and my friend was more about greed than any company investment that went wrong.

Broodcaster wrote:

   painful for the folks who are let go   

Howard Levitt - 416 594 3900

Lior Samfiru - 416 361 0993

Aaron Waxman - 416 661 4878

CALL NOW
 

Broodcaster wrote:

Sadly, its the employment lawyers who benefit the most 

The individual who acts as his/her own lawyer has a fool for a client
 

overheard at morning coffee at McDonalds:
 
Q. - why do you buy the globe & mail and national post when toronto star is FREE here?

A. - gales of laughter

when will we ever learn?    when will we ever learn.

People whose labor doesn't create anything you can hold and use (a book, car, furniture, etc), whose labor doesn't even create something intangible, like music. All they can do is cut deals. And, to the deal cutters, if it wasn't radio, it would be paint, or toothpaste, or lumber ... anything. The misadventures of these parasites is a never-ending source of amusement. God bless them.

I had to check if that screencap was real.

I shouldn't be surprised that it was. That's what happens when you pre-write stories but your staff is too overworked or incompetent to make sure the right version goes out.