Senators President Cyril Leeder yesterday said that all of the club’s “170 full- and part-time office workers have either been temporarily laid off or asked to accept a reduced work week,” according to a front-page piece by Ken Warren of the OTTAWA CITIZEN. Leeder said that "'more than 10' full-time employees have been laid off for the duration of the lockout." Other full-time staff members “are now working four-day weeks.” Part-timers, who “work during event days at the arena, will also see fewer shifts, although the appearance of the Ontario Hockey League’s Ottawa 67’s at Scotiabank Place this season will partially offset the loss of Senators home games.” The staff was “given notice about the implications of a lockout one month ago.” Meanwhile, the club indicated that it will “either refund the cost of tickets or will provide five-per-cent interest" for season-ticket holders that allow the Senators to "keep their money." In addition to the loss of jobs, the lockout also “means a potential drop-off in funds for charities.” The Senators Foundation was “forced to cancel its annual preseason golf tournament, originally scheduled for Wednesday.” Leeder insists that the Senators Foundation “has made ‘contingency plans’ and that the charities won’t be forgotten.” Leeder: “We’re finding different ways to raise money” (OTTAWA CITIZEN, 9/18). In Ottawa, Tim Baines cites sources as saying that the “actual figure of layoffs is as many as 40” (OTTAWA SUN, 9/18). Leeder said, “This really is the area that I worry about the most. It’s not good for anybody when we have a work stoppage and the people most affected are our staff here” (CP, 9/17).
HERE TO STAY: True North Sports & Entertainment President & CEO Jim Ludlow yesterday said the Jets “will not be laying off any staff while the NHL is in lockout mode.” Ludlow said, "We are not retrenching or retreating or laying off or rolling back any relationships we have with employees. We think it's valuable to continue to invest in our employees and our people and our building and our relationships” (WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, 9/18). Meanwhile, Bruins President Cam Neely in an e-mail said that the team has “no current plans to execute layoffs for any full-time or part-time employees currently earning wages from the hockey club” (CSNNE.com, 9/17).
