In a nine to one vote yesterday, KBOO-FM's (Portland, Oregon) Board of Directors approved a proposal to commence airing a disclaimer condemning unfair labor practices and union-busting at Pacifica Radio. KBOO joins KOOP-FM (Austin, Texas) and WORT-FM (Madison, Wisconsin) who have been airing informational disclaimers on the labor situation before and after their broadcasts of the Pacifica Network News.

Gene Lawhorn is a member of Carpenters Local 247, a producer of a Labor History program on KBOO, and one of KBOO's Directors. He explained that the new disclaimer, which is currently being drafted, will contain stronger language than that used at the other stations. KBOO's Directors will be seeking a mandate from subscribers to boycott Pacifica programming until workers at Pacifica receive a "fair and equitable" contract.

The United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers (UE) represents workers at Pacifica stations WBAI-FM (New York), KPFK-FM (Los Angeles) and KPFA (Berkeley).

Attacks on the workforce at Pacifica, formerly known as "Free Speech Radio," began after Pat Scott became the Foundation's Executive Director in 1995. The American Consulting Group(ACG), which specializes in "neutralizing" union efforts was hired to draft and negotiate a new contract for three Pacifica stations.

Scott also initiated an action to have the National Labor Relations Board(NLRB) rule to exclude 90% of the current union members. Though Pacifica has severed its ties with ACG, as a result of public outcry, workers remain without a contract and faced with proposals that remove virtually all the rights the previous contracts had guaranteeed. The NLRB ruling has not yet been made, and workers at WBAI have filed an unfair labor practice charge against management, which they say has been stalling negotiations pending the ruling.

Workers have asked other community radio stations to publicize the situation, as gag orders have been placed on staff at Pacifica stations forbidding discussion of these and other controversial actions by the Scott regime. Even announcements of community meetings designed to inform Pacifica subscribers have been forbidden under threat of "being permanently removed from the station."

KOOP, which initiated the action of solidarity, is being pressured by Pacifica managers to withdraw the disclaimer. As a result, WORT has decided to actively support KOOP, and KBOO is hoping to recruit other stations to join in the protest.

In an open letter last June, workers at WBAI-FM wrote: " The motivation for the union busting is thought to be to allow the Paid and Unpaid Staff to be reduced and in some cases replaced so that when the Pacifica Foundation is ready, in about three years, it can take over the air of WBAI and the other stations with Pacifica 's own national programming, leaving little or no air time for local, community input or production."

Since Scott took over, nearly 100 paid and unpaid staff have been removed from Pacifica stations.

While unpaid community producers, who have comprised the majority of on-air staff throughout Pacifica's 50 year history, are specifically under attack, paid positions are also being eliminated from union protection. Last week, WBAI management fired its Chief Engineer, who had been with the station almost 20 years. The Chief Engineer's duties will now be transferred to a new management position, Technical Director, mandated by Scott.

At KPFK-FM in Los Angeles, several previously union positions have now been encompassed in newly created management jobs. The Scott regime is also seeking the exclusion of paid air staff from union protection.

More than 60,000 dollars has already been spent by Pacifica's management to fight its workers . Scott and the Pacifica Board of Directors, an unelected self-perpetuating body, have also raised management salaries by as much as $15,000 per year.

Since Scott took over, Pacifica's Board has met behind closed doors, which has resulted in a complaint filed by a listeners group, Take Back KPFA, to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) which funds 20 percent of Pacifica's 8 million dollar annual budget. CPB guidelines mandate open meetings as a condition of funding. It is believed this secrecy was designed to prevent the public knowledge of the "vast changes" intended by the Scott regime.

In a new strategic plan which resulted from the secret proceedings, the Scott regime declares its intention to transform the organization that created community radio 50 years ago into a "professional broadcast organization."

A growing alliance of workers, disenchanted subscibers, and now, grassroots community broadcasters, are fighting back.