NBC News Announces Layoffs, Sparking Union Outrage

NBC News Announces Layoffs, Sparking Union Outrage

 Creator: Marcin Wichary

NBC News confirmed that it is laying off a number of its employees, a decision that has sparked considerable backlash from union representatives.

The layoffs, described as impacting a double-digit number of employees within its roughly 3,500-strong workforce, are expected to affect between 50 to 100 individuals. This news comes amidst a broader trend of workforce reductions in major media outlets, including CNN, NPR, and The Washington Post.

Sources familiar with the matter indicate that those affected will receive 60 days’ notice, along with severance packages and outplacement services.

SCOOP @PuckNews: NBC News will implement layoffs across the network starting today, per sources familiar…. Total number of employees affected will be fewer than 100 (out of staff of thousands).

— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) January 11, 2024

This news follows a similar round of layoffs at NBC News and MSNBC a year ago, which also impacted a double-digit number of employees, according to Deadline.

The NBC Digital NewsGuild and The NewsGuild of New York have strongly condemned the layoffs, particularly those affecting unionized staff. They assert that any changes to working conditions, including layoffs, must be negotiated, accusing NBC management of violating workers’ rights and engaging in union-busting tactics.

The letter states:

NBC management’s announcement Thursday of plans to lay off 14 Guild-represented workers as part of broader layoffs at the company.

The NBC Digital NewsGuild – which represents reporters, editors, designers, video journalists, animators, social media strategists and editorial staff of NBC News Digital – has been negotiating its first contract since union certification in 2019. Any changes to working conditions, including layoffs, must be bargained.

The NYGuild is evaluating all options and expects NBC management to bargain in good faith on these proposed layoffs as they are required to by law. “Rather than terminating more of our colleagues and stalling at the bargaining table, NBC should actually agree to a contract that respects industry standards, including just cause, with its workers,” said Carlin McCarthy, First Vice Chair of NBC Guild.

Last January, NBC illegally laid off seven union workers without bargaining, and informed several others that — while still employed — they were no longer protected by the union. The NewsGuild of New York filed unfair labor practice charges against NBC, which are still pending at Region 2 of the National Labor Relations Board, and the represented workers staged a one-day walkout in February.

“NBC management has engaged in an unrelenting pattern of union-busting since NBC Digital NewsGuild unionized, including threatening and surveilling employees who are exercising their rights as union members,” said Susan DeCarava, president of The NewsGuild of New York. “We will fight to protect our members and expect management to adhere to labor law and bargain with us.”

NEW: News Guild condemns layoffs at NBC News pic.twitter.com/SnLftuBz96

— Ben Mullin (@BenMullin) January 11, 2024

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Patient Code of Conduct: Hospital Threatens to Withhold Care Over Offensive Body Language and Tone of Voice

Patient Code of Conduct: Hospital Threatens to Withhold Care Over Offensive Body Language and Tone of Voice

 

A Massachusetts hospital announced a code of conduct for patients and visitors at the start of the new year that is raising eyebrows, but be careful–if they see you raising your eyebrows at them they may refuse to treat you.

Milford Regional Medical Center has instituted a code of conduct that goes far beyond the typical standards of violent, abusive or criminal conduct to policing tone of voice and body language; even commenting about someone’s accent can get a patient kicked to the curb. And God help the patient who rolls his eyes at the pronoun pin on a nurse, or the female patient who objects to the transgender gynecologist who tells her to get over it and get on the exam table.

In recent years, angry reactions to COVID restrictions by patients and visitors during the pandemic caused hospitals around the country to post notices about abusive behavior to staff not being tolerated. Milford’s code of conduct goes far beyond that into thought control of patients and visitors. Milford says offenders will be given the chance to explain themselves (struggle sessions) before being punished.

Patient and Visitor Code of Conduct

Words or actions that are disrespectful, racist, discriminatory, hostile or harassing are not welcome and will not be tolerated. Examples of these include:

Offensive comments about others’ race, ethnicity, accent, religion, gender, sexual orientation or other personal traits

Refusal to see a clinician or other staff member based on these personal traits

Aggressive or intimidating behavior, physical or verbal threats and assaults

Sexual or vulgar words or actions

Disrupting another patient’s care or experience

Please recognize that body language and tone of voice are also important parts of communication. If we believe you have violated the Code with unwelcome words or actions, you will be given the chance to explain your point of view. We will always carefully consider your response before we make any decisions about future care at Milford Regional. Some violations of this Code may lead to patients being asked to make other plans for their care. For serious or repeated violations, future non-emergency care and visitation rights at Milford Regional may require review, though we expect this to be rare. If you witness any of these behaviors, please report it to a member of your care team immediately. Please know that we also have a similar Code of Conduct in place for our staff and providers. If you feel you have been the target of any of these behaviors, you are asked to report it to a member of your care team or our Patient Relations/Service Excellence Coordinator at (508) 422-2648, so that it can be promptly addressed.

Milford Regional Medical Center is committed to providing exceptional healthcare services to our community with dignity, compassion and respect. Everyone should expect a safe, caring and inclusive environment in all our spaces. Our Patient and Visitor Code of Conduct helps us meet this goal.

Statement dated January 4, 2024 on the Milford Regional website:

Milford Regional Adopts Patient and Visitor Code of Conduct

Milford Regional Medical Center has adopted a new Patient and Visitor Code of Conduct. The new code is intended to establish an expectation of respectful behavior from patients and visitors in order to provide for a secure, caring and inclusive atmosphere throughout the Milford Regional system.

This measure is in response to the growing number of acts of violence and aggressive behavior toward healthcare workers across the state and throughout the nation.

Milford Regional’s Patient and Visitor Code of Conduct specifies that words or actions that are considered disrespectful, racist, discriminatory, hostile or harassing will not be tolerated. Examples include:

Offensive comments about others’ race, ethnicity, accent, religion, gender, sexual orientation or other personal traits
Refusal to see a clinician or other staff member based on these personal traits
Aggressive or intimidating behavior, physical or verbal threats and assaults
Sexual or vulgar words or actions
Disrupting another patient’s care or experience

“Being clear about expectations for behavior will translate to a stronger culture of respect and a safer environment for all,” said Milford Regional Chief Medical Officer Peter Smulowitz, MD. “Although acts of aggression or violence are an unfortunate reality in today’s healthcare settings, our Code of Conduct will help reinforce a safe and trusted environment that everyone should continue to expect at Milford Regional.”

Communication promoting the Code of Conduct is visible throughout the Milford Regional system and can be viewed on Milford Regional’s website at

https://www.milfordregional.org/patients-visitors/patient-and-visitor-code-of-conduct/

###

Milford Regional Medical Center is a full-service, community and regional teaching hospital located in Milford, Mass. and serves patients from more than 20 towns in Central Massachusetts. The 148-bed medical center is a nonprofit, acute-care facility, where more than 300 primary care and specialty physicians are committed to providing exceptional healthcare services to our community with dignity, compassion and respect.

Milford Regional posted a video featuring Chief Medical Officer Dr. Peter Smulowitz explaining the code of conduct. Smulowitz noted hospital staff and providers are subject to a similar code:

Transcript:

Hello, I’m Dr. Peter Smulowitz, chief medical officer at Milford Regional Medical Center.

Milford Regional Medical Center is committed to providing exceptional health care services to our community with dignity, compassion and
respect. Everyone should expect a safe, caring and inclusive environment in all our spaces.

Our patient and visitor code of conduct helps us meet this goal.

Words or actions that are disrespectful, racist, discriminatory, hostile or harassing are not welcome and will not be tolerated.

Examples of these include offensive comments about others’ race, ethnicity, accent, religion, gender, sexual orientation or other personal traits, refusal to see a clinician or other staff member based on these personal traits, aggressive or intimidating behavior, physical or verbal threats and assaults, sexual or vulgar words or actions and disrupting another patient’s care or experience.

Please recognize that body language and tone of voice are also important parts of communication.

If we believe you have violated our code with unwelcome words or actions you will be given a chance to explain your point of view we will always carefully consider your response before we make any decisions about future care at Milford Regional.

Know that we also have a similar code of conduct in place for our staff and providers.

To review the full patient and visitor code of conduct, visit our website. We look forward to continuing to serve our community and
trust that this code of conduct clarifies expectations and reinforces our commitment to a safe, caring and inclusive environment for all.

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Quebec Premier Legault Demands Canadian PM Justin Trudeau ‘Stem the Flow of Refugees’, Says Provinces Services Are ‘at a Breaking Point’

Quebec Premier Legault Demands Canadian PM Justin Trudeau ‘Stem the Flow of Refugees’, Says Provinces Services Are ‘at a Breaking Point’

 Quebec Premier Francois Legault and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Problems with unchecked mass migration is not a ‘privilege’ of the US, as Canada is also facing an invasion that is wrecking their society.

Of all the Canadian Provinces, French-speaking Quebec has been the most affected, receiving more than half the migrants arriving in the country.

Read: Canada’s Provincial Premiers Form a Rare United Front Against Justin Trudeau’s ‘Carbon Tax’

Now, Quebec Premier Francois Legault is urging Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to both ‘stem the flow of refugees’ into the province and to compensate it the costs it generates.

The premier claims Quebec’s services are close to a ‘breaking point’ due to the rising number.

Read: Climate Alarmism Fail: Justin Trudeau’s Signature ‘Carbon Tax’ Is Rejected by Majority of Voters, as Canadian Families Struggle Financially

The massive influx is overflowing schools, made the housing scarcity worse, and packed homeless shelters, Legault said in a letter to Trudeau on Wednesday.

Reuters reported:

“Unfortunately, we are close to the breaking point because of the excessive number of asylum seekers arriving in Quebec month after month,” the center-right nationalist added. ‘The situation has become unbearable’.

Nearly 60,000 new asylum seekers were recorded in Quebec in the first 11 months of 2023 and another 65,000 are expected in 2024, Legault said. ‘On a per capita basis, Quebec has accepted three times as many asylum seekers as the rest of Canada’.”

Read: Canadian Province of Alberta Defies Ottawa, Shields Power Companies From Trudeau’s Federal ‘Clean Electricity Regulations’

Canada targeted unofficial border crossings with the US, like the Roxham Road crossing into Quebec from New York state, that was closed.

But the overall number of people filing refugee claims in Canada has increased, Reuters reported.

“‘The organizations that host and support asylum seekers are no longer sufficient to the task and are requesting assistance as was the case last year at the height of the Roxham Road crisis’, Legault said.”

Read: Canadian Conservative Leader Poilievre Scorches Trudeau Over His ‘Carbon Tax’ Driving the Financial Crisis – But All the Prime Minister Wants To Talk About Is Ukraine!

Trudeau’s Ultra-Liberal government is coming under pressure for its immigration policies.

The PM’s popularity has slumped in recent months amid complaints about his failed globalist policies in the economy, environment, and of course, immigration.

“The predominantly French-speaking province is historically sensitive on the issue of immigration, with nationalists and separatists often pushing for measures to protect local culture and pressure immigrants and their children to learn French.

Canada’s Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, commenting on Legault’s letter, said Ottawa was committed to working with the Quebec government ‘to find solutions to the challenges posed by the significant number of asylum seekers. We are taking the most recent financial request from the Quebec government very seriously’, LeBlanc said in a statement.”

Read: Canadian Oil Companies Delay Emission Cuts, Eyeing Looming PM Trudeau Defeat in 2025 Elections

CBC reported:

“The closure of the unofficial Roxham Road crossing point south of Montreal in 2023 ‘momentarily’ slowed the flow, [Legault] said.

‘However, the arrivals have continued to increase at airports. The number of people arriving on a visitor visa and applying for asylum is also increasing significantly’.

[…] “Asylum seekers have trouble finding a place to live, which contributes to accentuating the housing crisis,” the letter said. ‘Many end up in homeless shelters, which are overflowing’.”

Read: Trudeau’s Canada: Tampons Now Available in Men’s Bathrooms at Parliament

Asylum seekers waiting for work permits receive financial assistance from Quebec, at a cost of $33 million for some 43,200 asylum seekers.

Legault wants Ottawa to reimburse Quebec the $470 million it spent on taking in asylum seekers in 2021 and 2022.

‘Quebec is no longer in a position to welcome a disproportionate share of the asylum seekers entering Canada’, he wrote in conclusion. ‘This is an urgent matter of the utmost importance’.”

Read more:

Canadian PM Trudeau Is ‘Afraid’ That Second Trump Term Will Bring an End to Globalist Climate Policies

The post Quebec Premier Legault Demands Canadian PM Justin Trudeau ‘Stem the Flow of Refugees’, Says Provinces Services Are ‘at a Breaking Point’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

  

HBO’s New Season of ‘True Detective’ is a Shallow, Woke Slap in the Face to the Series’ Fans and Legacy

HBO’s New Season of ‘True Detective’ is a Shallow, Woke Slap in the Face to the Series’ Fans and Legacy

 

The latest season of the hit HBO anthology series “True Detective” has pivoted away from what made its previous seasons so compelling and has introduced an entirely new element: wokeness.

It’s a sad reality, but one that was not unexpected, given the current landscape of entertainment and the fact the show cast two LGBT female leads – Jodie Foster and relative newcomer Kali Reis.

Foster plays a police chief named Liz Danvers in the fictional Alaskan town of Ennis — near the North Pole.

Reis plays Alaskan State Trooper Evangeline Navarro — a Native American cop who appears destined for a tense relationship with Danvers. The final seven episodes will tell us more about that.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead

Part one starts with a couple of decent hooks.

As residents of Ennis prepare for two weeks of complete winter darkness (due to the Earth’s axial tilt), a hunter looks on as a herd of deer commits collective suicide in the twilight by jumping off a cliff.

It is soon discovered that a team of scientists has gone missing from an area research lab. The only clues to their disappearance are a whiteboard that proclaims they are all dead and a severed tongue on the floor.

Danvers arrives at the scene and determines the scientists have been missing for at least two days and identifies the tongue as having belonged to a Native American woman.

That is about the point where the episode loses its steam.

Navarro deduces that the tongue belonged to a Native American woman named Annie Kowtok, who was murdered six years earlier. The crime was never solved. During an interaction with Danvers, Navarro at one point utters the words, “My spirit animal eats old f***ing white ladies like you for breakfast.”

Not even Foster’s NFL-obsessed, presumed lesbian character is diverse enough to be freed from the screeds of Reis’ character.

Three additional negative comments about whiteness are made throughout the episode — two of them from Navarro and one from the girlfriend of one of Danvers’ male deputies.

In the final 35 minutes of the episode, viewers see Reis belittle most of the male characters she encounters, and each of them is portrayed as brain-dead.

As the episode comes to a close, Navarro complains that Kowtok became a cold case victim, solely because she was not white.

Additionally, it is discovered Danvers is raising an orphaned lesbian girl who finds herself in hot water for filming a pornographic video with another teen girl who is claimed to be 15 years of age.

In short, this iteration of “True Detective” appears to be a poisoned and unnecessary installment of a once-great HBO series.

Nic Pizzolatto, who wrote and produced the first three seasons, was not involved in any of the writing on this mess, which could explain why it lost identity just minutes into a single episode.

Pizzolatto created the iconic characters Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson) in season one — which premiered 10 years ago this week and has proved to be timeless.

The second and third seasons of “True Detective” are not as beloved by fans of the first season, but a case could be made that the third season was riveting, must-see TV.

Additionally, in the three seasons in which Pizzolatto was at the helm of the franchise he created, there were strong female and minority characters. None of them had to resort to girl-bossing their way around cases and making negative comments about whiteness.

Michelle Monaghan’s performance as a strong, feminine character in the first season was brilliant — as was Rachel McAdams’ performance in the forgettable second season.

Meanwhile, the third season cast two black main characters – Mahershala Ali and Carmen Ejogo – and they each nailed their roles without demonizing whiteness. They merely try to solve a mystery.

Ali’s performance was criminally underrated, despite the fact that it was still praised endlessly by critics.

But the cultural diseases that are identity politics and wokeness appear primed to take all the fun out of the current season of the show.

Will Danvers and Navarro solve any crimes? After one episode, it’s difficult to care.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

The post HBO’s New Season of ‘True Detective’ is a Shallow, Woke Slap in the Face to the Series’ Fans and Legacy appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

  

Harvard’s New Antisemitism Task Force Co-Chair Accused of Antisemitism

Harvard’s New Antisemitism Task Force Co-Chair Accused of Antisemitism

 Derek Penslar-Co-chair of Harvard’s antisemitism task force/mage: Harvard University

Harvard can’t seem to get a handle on their antisemitism problem.

A newly created task force convened to fight antisemitism on campus has already come under fire after comments from the co-chair of the Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism, Jewish history professor Derek Penslar, have come to light.

The New York Post reports that a passage in Penslar’s 2023 book declares,  “Veins of hatred run through Jewish civilization.”

“Israel’s dispossession of Palestinians from their land and oppression of those who remain have made it one of the most disliked countries on the planet,” Jewish history professor Derek Penslar claimed in his tome, “Zionism: An Emotional State,” in which he wrote, “Jewish culture was steeped in fantasies (and occasionally, acts) of vengeance against Christians.”

Penslar also signed onto a letter from a group called Academics4Peace in August of 2023 suggesting Israel is a “regime of apartheid,” guilty of “Jewish supremacism.”

The letter also accused Israel of attempting to “ethnically cleanse all territories under Israeli rule of their Palestinian population.”

.@Harvard continues on the path of darkness. https://t.co/b2TWTHLfBs

— Bill Ackman (@BillAckman) January 19, 2024

Background on Derek Penslar, Harvard professor named today by interim president Alan Garber as co-chair of an antisemitism task force. I think Penslar is a terrible selection to co-chair this task force. Here is why: 1) Signed August 4, 2023 “Elephant in the Room” letter about…

— Ira Stoll (@IraStoll) January 19, 2024

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