New KPFA Contract Leaves Bitter Taste id XAA10731; Mon, 29 Sep 1997 23:21:30 -0400 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Tue, 16 Sep 97 09:09:50 CDT source: "Lyn Gerry" KPFA Workers Sign Divisive Contract, Lay-Off's Follow by Lyn Gerry Samuel Guia, a paid staff member at KPFA-FM, Pacifica's Berkeley station said lay-offs of five paid staff members were announced today. This follows the signing of a contract between management and Communications Workers of America (CWA) last Tuesday by paid staff which excluded the unpaid staff. Unpaid staff had been represented by union contract since 1987. KPFA workers changed their union affiliation to CWA earlier this year. KPFA workers had previously been represented by the United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers of America (UE) which still represents workers at WBAI-FM in New York and KPFK-FM in Los Angeles. Samuel had been Chief Steward at KPFA until recently. He resigned when the paid staff voted 16-8 to ratify the contract excluding the unpaid staff, because he couldn't stomach the lack of solidarity. Unpaid staff had been in the process of organizing for CWA representation and are scheduled to meet with CWA representatives on Wednesday. Samuel believes that people of color, particularly Latinos have been targeted for removal. He cited remarks of management's labor lawyer, Larry Drapkin regarding the affirmative action clause of the contract. Samuel was told by one of the contract negotiators that, in a negotiating session, Drapkin asserted that affirmative action language, previously part of the contract, must be removed as it will conflict with the provisions of Proposition 209. Present in the meeting when these remarks were made by Drapkin were Chupoo Alifante, union negotiator; Mark Mericle, union negotiator; Marci Lockwood, outgoing KPFA General Manager; Phil Osegueda, KPFA Assistant Manager, John Dugan, CWA organizer and Larry Drapkin, management's attorney. Samuel believes this is part of a pattern which has included the removal of a significant ratio of Latino-oriented programs at several Pacifica stations, as well as discourtesy toward Latino staff members such as Mario Murillo at WBAI, recipient of the "screw you and the horse you rode up on" memo written about by Alexander Cockburn in The Nation. The first KPFA worker to be laid off was Patricia Medina, the Women's Department Director, a part-time union position. Patricia was told by Lynne Chadwick, acting general manager of KPFA, that all part- time executive producer positions were to be eliminated and their duties taken over by the Program Director, a management position. KPFA is expected to hire a new Program Director soon. Though the identity of the new PD has not been announced, it is believed to be someone from KQED, the San Francisco NPR station. Samuel said management justified the lay-offs due to a budget shortfall caused by "large donor contributions drying up." Samuel believes that revelations in the Bay Area press regarding the conduct of Pacifica management has alienated KPFA's major donors. Prior to the announcement, Samuel said, CWA negotiator Bill Harvey met with Pacifica and CWA lawyers. Samuel believes CWA was aware of management plans to lay-off workers, but said nothing to the members. Although workers have been threatened with retaliation by management for speaking out, Samuel said he can keep silent no longer. He says he speaks, "not as a member of the union. nor as a member of the KPFA staff but as a human being." He described the behavior of KPFA/Pacifica Management as " treacherous," epitomized by the removal of International Workers Day, May 1, as a Pacifica holiday. This day, said Samuel who comes from Peru, is recognized all over the world as one which honors workers. Its loss, he said, illustrates the contempt for workers in the New Pacifica. http://www.radio4all.org http://www.radio4all.org/freepacifica ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytlab-09.29.97-23:21:36-28732