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4/26/2015
French radio strike
French public radio group Radio
France was back to regular programming on Thursday after unions ended a 28-day
stoppage, the longest strike in the broadcaster’s
history.
"I welcome the end of the conflict," Culture
Minister Fleur Pellerin said. The mediator she appointed last week will now
start a second phase of work of analyzing the points of view of the group's
4,400-strong workforce and the management headed by Radio France CEO 38-year-old
Mathieu Gallet.
The outside mediation and Pellerin's direct involvement
marked a defeat for Gallet, but the unions have so far also failed to roll back
his cost-cutting plan.
The group Radio France, with nearly 5,000 employees, runs
seven public stations and receives 664
million euros a year, 90 percent of it from a tax imposed on French households
with a television.
The stoppage began as a protest, mostly by production and
technical staff, against a cut in the public subsidy and an attempt to control
Radio France’s deficit, which will reach €21m ($23m) this year. Unions were
protesting management plans to cut 300 jobs and to shift some radio shows to
the web.
Resistance to reform hardened after it emerged that Mr
Gallet, who took over a year ago, refurbished his office with a view of the
Eiffel Tower in Radio France’s headquarters at the cost of €100,000 and hired a
PR consultant on a 90,000-euro salary as he was preparing his cost-cutting
plan.
Part of the problem is a culture clash. Mr Gallet, who
talks about branding and about a digital transformation, is regarded by
journalists as a sharp-suited bean-counter. Yet disgruntlement over Mr Gallet’s taste for
spreadsheets and new furniture masks a real problem at Radio France.
A crushing report
published this month by the public auditor pointed to a financing crisis and
long-running management failures. Between 2010 and 2013 the payroll bill
increased by nearly 10%, even as the headcount remained stable—and the audience
dwindled at two flagship stations, France Info and France Inter.
Journalists with over eight years of service, the report
noted, get nearly 14 weeks of paid holiday a year. Fully 388 staff are union
representatives enjoying protected jobs. There were a staggering 622
works-council meetings in 2013.
Only a tiny minority of the staff—about 6-10%—took part
in the strike. Many journalists turned up to work on programs, but because
technical and production staffs were on strike, they are unable to broadcast
them.
“Everybody knows
that reform must happen,” says one Radio France journalist. So far, though,
this looks like a case study in how not to go about it.
from The Economist
4/19/2015
Say "Thank you!!"
A Frenchman will pay the price for texting and
calling his ex-girlfriend 21,807 times over a 10-month stretch.
The 33-year-old man was sentenced to four months in jail and to
pay a $1,300 fine. He admitted in court that he was trying to reach her to
receive compensation or a "thank you" for improvements on their
apartment he made before they broke up.
"It was stupid," he said yesterday. At the time his logic was: “Until she returns the money, she
pays back for work I carried in our apartment, or at least says thank you, I will
not stop the calls."
The 32-year-old ex girlfriend received an average of 73 calls per day,
including 100 during the hour-and-a-half she spent filing charges against him. She blocked his calls, but he just called her parents
instead.
He kept up the harassment until she finally
expressed her thanks in a meeting organized by a mediator.
The man's full sentence: ten months in jail (six of which
were suspended), along with the fine, mandatory psychiatric treatment, and
orders to make no contact at all with his ex-girlfriend.
Photo: Ponsulak/Getty Images/iStockphoto
from USA Today
Questions About Airbnb Responsibility After Dog's Attack
The Airbnb-listed house in Salta, Argentina.
According to
Airbnb’s website, their business “is a trusted community marketplace for people
to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world — online or
from a mobile phone.”
It’s the ideal
alternative for those who want to have a unique experience on vacation rather
than selecting a local hotel chain. Airbnb offers their customers the
opportunity to save money while renting an array of personally owned
apartments, castles, houses.
With over one
million locations in close to 35,000 cities and 190 countries, the sky is the
limit in finding your perfect spot. That’s exactly what Mike Silverman thought
until he was attacked by a Airbnb host’s Rottweiler.
Mike Silverman,
58, and his wife have travelled to various places throughout the United States
as well as outside of the country over the past years. The couple has used
Airbnb in order to stay within their desired budget of $100 per night for room
and board.
Mr. and Mrs.
Silverman do extensive research on each place they stay, reading reviews left
by former tenants. They were pleased with the home they found in Salta,
Argentina, for their destination at the low price of $60 per night. However,
there was no mention of a dog in the Airbnb listing for this property.
Although the
Silverman’s were surprised to see the Rottweiler at the Airbnb host’s home,
they admit that the dog seemed calm and harmless. After a few days of being
inside the home, Silverman decided to put out his hand for the dog to sniff in
a very non-aggressive manner. Suddenly, the Rottweiler sank its teeth deep into
Silverman’s forearm.
Before treating
Silverman, the hospital required a deposit. Silverman contacted the Airbnb
host, who could not pay the deposit. Silverman had to make arrangements to get
the cash so he could be admitted to the hospital.
Silverman
contacted Airbnb asking them to step in and reimburse him for his unexpected
out-of-pocket expenses caused by their host’s dog. Airbnb refused to pay any
medical expenses. However, the company said it was within their policy to
refund Mr. Silverman for the nights he originally booked.
Silverman was
shocked to find out that Airbnb does not provide liability insurance on any
property outside of the United States, and only began providing insurance
within the United States for their hosts in late 2014 — six years after the
company started in 2008.
Even Airbnb’s
liability insurance is secondary after their host makes an initial claim to
their own insurance. This was very disturbing news to Silverman, who believes
all travelers should be aware when traveling abroad with Airbnb. He wrote an
email to Airbnb, stating what this incident has cost him — above and beyond
financial loss.
“There is also a
pain and suffering element as well as, perhaps, permanent nerve damage. Have
you ever been attacked by a large dog? When I close my eyes at night, I see
this thing tearing at my arm and blood everywhere — which is exactly what
happened.”
Airbnb simply
replied, “Please understand our refund was an attempt to soften the impact of
an unfortunate accident and to provide our best possible customer service to
you. Unfortunately, per our terms of service, we are unable to consider any
request for compensation in liability scenario such as this.”
Then it went on to say how much the company valued him as a guest
and wished him well in his recovery.
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