Jets force employees to take unpaid leave

[Lil Bit Special]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spjstaff0306,0,4897045.story

The New York Jets are telling employees on the business side of the team's operations to take two weeks of unpaid leave this offseason, rather than cut jobs as several other teams and the league office have done in recent weeks.

The team announced the plan Thursday to employees, who'll take two-week furloughs during a four-week period in late-June and early July, Matt Higgins, the team's executive vice president of business operations, told The Associated Press.

The departments affected include marketing, media relations, finance and business operations. Employees on the football side, such as general manager Mike Tannenbaum and coach Rex Ryan, aren't included in the plan.

[Thai Jet]

It beats getting laid off given the choice.

[SayNoToDMC]

Nobody forcing them, they can always quit. I'd think with all people who don't have jobs right now including ton's of people around the league they should be happy they'll still have jobs after those 2 weeks.

[aec4]

Nobody forcing them, they can always quit. I'd think with all people who don't have jobs right now including ton's of people around the league they should be happy they'll still have jobs after those 2 weeks.

Still pretty strange that jobs are cut (at least they did not do that) by these sports teams yet they can dish out 8 figure signing bonuses. Those 8 figures probably pay all these people for years.

[Jbro22]

Hope they fire the guy who runs the website. SITE BLOWS.

**** real player

[Maxman]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/football/jets/ny-spjstaff0306,0,4897045.story

The New York Jets are telling employees on the business side of the team's operations to take two weeks of unpaid leave this offseason, rather than cut jobs as several other teams and the league office have done in recent weeks.

The team announced the plan Thursday to employees, who'll take two-week furloughs during a four-week period in late-June and early July, Matt Higgins, the team's executive vice president of business operations, told The Associated Press.

The departments affected include marketing, media relations, finance and business operations. Employees on the football side, such as general manager Mike Tannenbaum and coach Rex Ryan, aren't included in the plan.

That is awesome. All the loyal workers get two weeks off unpaid. Hope they gave them some notice. Yet Brett Favre made more per interception than everyone combined.

But hey, those PSL sales are going as planned. No problems. The forecast is good.

Right tequila?

[rillo]

It beats getting laid off given the choice.

Agreed, they may not like it but @ least they still have a job.

[Thai Jet]

Agreed, they may not like it but @ least they still have a job.

Sadly, that's todays reality.

[4HCrew]

So wait the Jets are cutting back but want their fans to spend thousands on PSLs?

[JMJ]

My company just laid off 60 people on Tuesday and announced they are reducing our salaries 5% (1% per month over the next 5 months). If the economic conditions are worse in 6 months they are going to reduce it another 1% per month so over 10 months we will have seen a 10% reduction in salary.

Lucky for me I do sales for my company and I am actually ahead of my quotas and still performing strong. My bonus check(s) will more than make up for any losses in wage. The rest of our sales teams are getting hammered though.

I look at it like this, if reducing my salary 5-10% helps save my job and the jobs of almost 200 others ... it is a necessary evil.

Times are tough right now.

[jetophile]

What a cheap hump. How's the ole PSL sales goin'?

[4HCrew]

JMJ I hear what you are saying but I have a hard time believing NFL teams are hurting...They are involved in a billion dollar industry. Hell the Jets should be able to pay all of their employees off of the Favre revenue alone

[Fishooked]

Hope they fire the guy who runs the website. SITE BLOWS.

**** real player

Agreed..who the eff this uses that? NO ONE.

[Cant Hackett]

Didn

[Bleedin Green]

I think I'm going to volunteer to take off two weeks unpaid at my job. It'd definitely be worth it.

[ThisYearsModel]

PSL's AND furloughs? They should be ashamed of themselves.

[villain_the_foe]

My company just laid off 60 people on Tuesday and announced they are reducing our salaries 5% (1% per month over the next 5 months). If the economic conditions are worse in 6 months they are going to reduce it another 1% per month so over 10 months we will have seen a 10% reduction in salary.

Lucky for me I do sales for my company and I am actually ahead of my quotas and still performing strong. My bonus check(s) will more than make up for any losses in wage. The rest of our sales teams are getting hammered though.

I look at it like this, if reducing my salary 5-10% helps save my job and the jobs of almost 200 others ... it is a necessary evil.

Times are tough right now.

Its sad when people begin to look at evil as necessary.

[ThisYearsModel]

The NFL prints money. Their TV revenue is contracted. The economy has nothing to do with it. The cap ensures profitability. The PSL's will bring in millions, along with the inflated ticket prices. This is truly shameful. Cut an overpaid player and save a million or so. Don't mistreat the poor folks who work for the club. This exposes Woody as a real a-hole.

[shawn306]

So wait the Jets are cutting back but want their fans to spend thousands on PSLs?

I was thinking the same exact thing

This; I don't even know if we can call this a team anymore but more a buisness, that will be moving into a one (b)illion dollar stadium, that spends money like it is going out style is now going to ask the average joe to who has a mortgage to pay, kids to put through school, etc,etc to take two wekes off with no pay ?

Are you F'n kdding me.

Times are tough. Leave it to Woody to take advantage of the situation.

This team just p!sses me off more and more every F'n day.

[lancemehl]

Still pretty strange that jobs are cut (at least they did not do that) by these sports teams yet they can dish out 8 figure signing bonuses. Those 8 figures probably pay all these people for years.

No s%$T! I can see both sides of the argument and I'm exactly a communist, but Chrisst, something's wrong when you can write a 10 million dollar check with one hand and then tell

people to go home for two weeks to keep their $1,000 paycheck.

Something's F54ked up.

Nothing like shaving off the bottom, when there's billions at the top. Not to mention his f%$kin soap! This is a disgustig move, and not just the jets, others are flat out laying off.

GREED.No surprise, no story here, just life.

[Maxman]

I am glad this is getting some air time. The networks covered it this morning. Good -- any time stuff like this can be exposed it isn't a bad thing.

[joebabyny]

I am glad this is getting some air time. The networks covered it this morning. Good -- any time stuff like this can be exposed it isn't a bad thing.

Ya know, i would just love to know how exactly this economy has really affected their business. Also, as a business owner myself I have foregone cutting myself a paycheck since november rather than lay off one of my employees. Don't really know how much more i can do that, but i am damn sure trying my hardest here. I am all for making as much money as you can, and the entrapenuers of this country are the drivers of growth, but to be a business that spends hundreds of millions of dollars on 52 employees a year and then has to lay others off who make a tiny fraction of that, it is just not right.

[hoping4ASuperBowl]

I've been thinking for the last year how much fun it would be to work for the NY Jets. Being an artist and loving the Jets I knew if I could get a job with them, in my field too, I would be in heaven. so much for that.

[hoping4ASuperBowl]

joebabyny, its unfortunate but its because the general public doesn't care about those behind-the-scene people because they are not the stars we pay to see.

at least you were nice enough to take a pay cut to keep your employees. kudos to you.

[faba]

The skewing of priorities- spend millions on free agents and then the people doing the grunt work go without pay for two weeks.

[DMaynard]

Woody is being generous vs other owners who are laying off. But the point that the NFL is hardly suffering in the economy is well taken. It is a guilt type of thing. Look at Microsoft. They laid off 5,000 employees beause they ONLY made a profit of 4.2 billion last quarter vs a profit of 4.7 billion the same quarter of the previous year. That is absurd and discraceful. But then if you are another fortune 500 company, how do you justify to your stockholders not laying off when Microsoft has a layoff?

The economy is bad enough. Panic and posturing is making it worse. And I will not even get into the government aspect.

[Larz]

weird

how can they make the argument revenues are down ?

the TV revenue sharing deal is the same, right ?

the income from tix has to be up with the PSL's, right ? I mean from this time a year ago, the incoming checks have to be more than last years season tix only (maybe I'm way off, I stay away from PSL threads)

is this a sign woody's base revenue from J&J is down, and the stadium costs may be over running ?

weird

[DMaynard]

weird

how can they make the argument revenues are down ?

the TV revenue sharing deal is the same, right ?

the income from tix has to be up with the PSL's, right ? I mean from this time a year ago, the incoming checks have to be more than last years season tix only (maybe I'm way off, I stay away from PSL threads)

is this a sign woody's base revenue from J&J is down, and the stadium costs may be over running ?

weird

I doubt it. Like I said in my post above , the same thing is happening in the business world. The economy is bad, everyone else is cutting, so you cut too. Whether you need to or not.

[Ranger]

Still pretty strange that jobs are cut (at least they did not do that) by these sports teams yet they can dish out 8 figure signing bonuses. Those 8 figures probably pay all these people for years.

I'm not saying it's right and I don't want anyone to lose their job, but the players are the product, not the staff.

[Larz]

I doubt it. Like I said in my post above , the same thing is happening in the business world. The economy is bad, everyone else is cutting, so you cut too. Whether you need to or not.

maybe this is a sign they are afraid the economy will take away attendance on game day

if the NFL starts suffering it's official, start storing water guns and ammo

j/k

kinda

[Meddle]

Imagine this story...

"Jets Players Kick In To Save Fellow Employees"

FLORHAM PARK - As is usually the case, when things get tough, you can count of the generosity of professional athletes. Having all they need, our stars are one of the few American subcultures that can spring into action when their fellow citizens are down and out.

Jets' DE Shaun Ellis may have put it best when he said "these folks are our family. You don't allow your family to have their knees taken out. We're all rich beyond our wildest expectations. We should step up for those who take care of us on a regular basis. We athletes may not be able to help out the entire country, but we can certainly extend a hand to those in our own organization."

At least someone gets it.

With millions upon millions unemployed, athletes are in no better position to help than any other individual, but as Ellis eluded to, everybody, who has the means, can at least take care of their own. If all that can help - did help, we'd be a few steps further down this terrifying road to recovery.

So, we may have partisan gridlock in Washington. We may have scum running our major U.S. corporations. We may more ponzi schemes than recovery schemes. At least we can still count on the generosity of professional athletes.

When Ellis explained to his teammates, that if they each gave up .02% of their yearly income, they could stop their fellow employess from losing paychecks, the entire team chipped in. Looks like the folks in the marketing department will be able to send the kids to day camp this summer after all.