Thread regarding ViacomCBS layoffs

Staff Conversions Frozen?

That appears to be the word from higher up - staff conversions continue to be frozen, though it doesn't appear to be enforced on every team for some reason.

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Post ID: @OP+166tXquc

32 replies (most recent on top)

Some of you guys posting on here are borderline illiterate.

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Post ID: @bqhl+166tXquc

sounds like you havent been here for a long time

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Post ID: @ajwj+166tXquc

1212 Struck & LOST 3 Times??? tell me - What did they lose? if you say back when everything thing was LIVE - you are talkinh back in the 50'-60's FILM people - so you are talking to losing to the VIDEO revolution - THEY DID NOT LOSE SENIORITY, JOB SECURITY & CBS Gurantded Pension - they "LOST" NOTHING. then you jumps to '93-'94 when the Damage was ALREADY DONE 4.03g's were sold out in '87 - there is NOTHING TO STRIKE FOR SINCE. '87. 1212 should have Struck in '87 to PROTECT new hires onward to SAVE CBS PENSION, JOB SECURITY, SENIORITY

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Post ID: @awgi+166tXquc

was 12 12 supposed to go on strike and retain the great contract they had ? they struck and lost at cbs 3 times, the struck when alll tv was live and the vcr was not invented, how would they have won a strike in 1990 or 1991 ? the stage wokers struck at cbs in 1990 and lost

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Post ID: @8der+166tXquc

are people still working at TV City in Los Angeles ? or has everyone from TV City been let go ? i guess the techs with seniority are still working and re-assigned

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Post ID: @8pzd+166tXquc

Greedy older staff pass-up Buyout then let 4.03g's get laid off - their reward is getting laid-off themselves in 2nd wave - so they can also collect unemployment. they can't collect unemployment if they take a buyout - but cbs/ibew agreement (that WAS NOT VOTED ON BY TECHS) is both a buyout & layoff agreement. Yellow-belly techs have NEVER gone on strike - they only sell-out younger techs with less perks than grandfathers have

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Post ID: @8zqn+166tXquc

yes, 1987, the Nabet strike at NBC, If i remember correctly it was Nabet going on strike because they didnt want NBC to have the right to hire per diem technicians, then at CBS, 12 12 IBEW SIGNED A CONTRACT, ACKNOWLEDGING anyone hired after 1987 has no seniority

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Post ID: @7ntx+166tXquc

Not a good definition of 4.03g - it is a "Staff" (ambiguous meaning in IBEW contract) technician who were sold out by the IBEW "grandfathers" after 1987. a 4.03g has NO JOB SECURITY, NO SENIORITY (sush as picking vacation and no difference in order of getting laid-off), NO CBS Company Pension (roughly a few thousand a month for techs hired before '87) - though they can contribute to CBS 401k plan (in which "grandfathers" can contribute to 401k AS WELL AS getting CBS Pension). Rather than STRIKING back in the day - the "grandfathers' sold-out new hires as 4.03g's. The grandfathers also screw the 4.03g's by letting Buyout deadlines expire - where 4.03g's get laid-off, then a few months (after union complaint limit expires) later - the "grandfather's" allow themselves to ALSO get laid-off SO THEY CAN ALSO COLLECT UNEMPLOYMENT. so essentially if CBS needed to lay off 10 technicians - instead of "grandfathers" taking a "buyout" they allow younger 4.03g's (who have no CBS guaranteed Pension outside of 401k) to get fired, then a few grandfathers will let themselves get laid-ff (out OF SENIORITY ORDER - a union violation) to collect unemployment - thereby screwing at least as many 4.03g's

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Post ID: @7vif+166tXquc

403g is a classification of a staff technician that can get laid off whenever the company wants to terminate this type of employee, its staff without seniority

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Post ID: @6suc+166tXquc

403gs? How about people post in English

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Post ID: @6gcj+166tXquc

403g's were let go that were members of IBEW LOCAL 12 12, SOME HAD OVER 10 YEARS IN and now have no where to go, sad and bad time

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Post ID: @6qeq+166tXquc

Never does THE COMPANY tell a Freelancer they are going to be hired, or dangle a carrot. If you arent hired and get passed over - the writing is on the wall - you are a permalancer

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Post ID: @6avw+166tXquc

well this company keeps freelancers for years and years, doing the same work and same hours as staff with no benefits or time off, telling them they'll become staff then finding new excuses every few weeks to put it off, so it makes sense some people would be getting a little antsy about it.

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Post ID: @5ywm+166tXquc

Standard Operational Procedure NOT to hire Staff when laying off, why would anybody question that? unless there are replacements for people taking buyouts or replacing necessary staff at lower salary

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Post ID: @5idm+166tXquc

There is also a freeze in hiring freelance/contract employees.

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Post ID: @4zti+166tXquc

That is correct. Permalancers are not going to be made permanent workers for the foreseeable future. That carrot they were dangling? Gone. Until 2021.

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Post ID: @4ujh+166tXquc

Okay. Copy that. Back on topic though:
Does anybody know if it currently a company-wide policy that, for the foreseeable future, all long-term contract workers (especially those who have been here for years) who may also be known as "freelancers" "project-based employees" or other euphemisms, are barred from being upgraded to being regular staff employees, or from getting benefits given to other employees?

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Post ID: @3fgg+166tXquc

something tells Me that Viacom brass, CBS brass - have unique lingo because they have been separate for over a decade and CBS has had it's Share off layoffs and layoff terms, unit terms, employee terms. If all divisions are having Town Halls & Bob has his "Bob Live" - then NOT ALL terminology is going to be the same in the various staff meetings or the two coasts. so just spell it out in English in the first place Sparky, Sparky II and Sparky jr. NY has a Lingo all it's own - so please explain in detail - NOT Pig Latin & Broken English. TV Production and News divisions and sports - all have different terms for employees - though SOME may be the same. anybody know what a OMB is? well - if I said - anybody know what a ONE MAN BAND is? - a lot of people still wouldn't know - so it needs detailed explaining - Kapish?

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Post ID: @3sgi+166tXquc

competing news agencies taking advantage of Misery? people trolling? really/ first of all who cares? second of all this is public. third of all - maybe an employee at competition can add some insight? but really - stop the drama and paranoia - enough insiders here already ticking others off by asking about bonuses etc. But really - just speak plain English and be a bit more detailed - becuase we're all NOT in the same loop - and some people here were laid-off at different times and years - so how in the world would we know about Town Halls and "bob Live"s...

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Post ID: @3unk+166tXquc

If you're curious about the lingo and what it all means, here's a good write-up from adweek:
https://www.adweek.com/tv-video/viacomcbs-lays-off-several-contracted-workers-across-multiple-divisions/

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Post ID: @3eps+166tXquc

Just using the terminology that is used by management when they are asked about contract workers becoming staff. I didn't make it up, but that doesn't matter.

What does matter is that contractors in production are often told they can "become staff" through a "staff conversion" but those "staff conversions" are currently frozen, and therefor no contractor can become staff.

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Post ID: @3hgd+166tXquc

Never heard of Staff Conversion - sounds like a term YOU made up. in any event - freelance, permalance - can't be made staff in tech positions because the tech that was laid-off would have to be re-hired if anybody replaced them at 40hrs/week." Any freelance hired full-time staff?" would be the question to ask - so everybody understands- not "any staff conversions?"...

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Post ID: @3aav+166tXquc

oh? everyone in Viacom is supposed to know what a 4.03g is? tell me if you know what a 4.03g is - then tell me how it is different than staff, freelance, per diem , full-time - stop talking like every unit at Viacomcbs know what your specific unit Lingo is. PBE - is also know as Professional Broadcast Employee- even THAT is ambiguous - but NOT as ambiguous as a "Project Based Employee" which still means nothing - sounds like a contract worker more than anything. do people know what a "Runner" is in Sports production? NO - it needs clarification - you don't go using stupid proprietary Lingo in general forum posts. GOOGLE PBE acronym - there are Dozens of meanings. Is everybody supposed to know what a WINDOW is in news production? and IFB - everybody in Viacomcbs Legal, accounting & IT supposed to know??? Yes, there are people here who also work in Accounting and SALES and Marketing... are they supposed to know what WGA is?

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Post ID: @3wuq+166tXquc

Every thread we have some id–t complaining about not understanding the "lingo". Sorry but if you actually worked for this company you would know these things. This forum isn't intended for some competing news agency to capitalize on our misery.

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Post ID: @3gjq+166tXquc

Anyone asking what a PBE is is either a legacy CBS employee or a media troll looking for something to spin into a story.

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Post ID: @3tmc+166tXquc

a pbe is a permalancer (euphamistcally called "project based employees" - a staff conversion is when a longtime "freelancer" is reclassified as "staff" i.e. a regular employee and given benefits like paid time off and health care.

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Post ID: @2pin+166tXquc

it might mean, when a cbs employee becomes a viacom employee or vice versa, but i have no idea

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Post ID: @1ljd+166tXquc

Here we go with the Lingo again... Speak English please - there are OTHER people Here other than just YOU. PBE??? really? do you think you can manage to spell those out for anybody NOT in NYC? in 30 years in NYC never heard of a "Staff Conversion" what does that mean in English???

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Post ID: @1oln+166tXquc

when do you think the NYC broadcast center will be sold and NYC BC personnel let go ?

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Post ID: @jlt+166tXquc

whats PBE ?

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Post ID: @sry+166tXquc

Not a temp, but a long term PBE or permalancer

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Post ID: @cks+166tXquc

is staff conversion when a temp employee gets upgraded to staff ?

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Post ID: @dka+166tXquc

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