October 15, 1997

Letters to the Editor

KPFA's union fight

Regarding Ron Curran's "KPFA Cave-In" [Naked Eye, 9/24/97]: We note that Dennis Bernstein is the only KPFA staff person quoted in Bay Guardian articles on the station. There are 26 union workers at KPFA, and many of us are women and people of color. Many of us have worked at this institution for more than 20 years, often at great personal sacrifice.

The recent union negotiations were some of the most difficult in KPFA's history. This was the first time workers were forced to negotiate a labor contract with an outside attorney hired by Pacifica. We take offense at being characterized as people who laid down and didn't put up a fight. On the contrary -- we are quite exhausted from fighting. And we continue to fight because we believe in KPFA's mission.

In response to Curran's article, which states that we "approved one of the most regressive contracts in recent memory," the facts are as follows: A tentative agreement was initially reached; we rejected it precisely because we were unwilling to accept the list of take-away items that management was proposing -- including an extensive no-strike clause. Although we did eventually accept a no-strike clause for the duration of our contract, we rejected the inclusion of the phrase "no sit-downs, job actions, stoppage of work, slowdowns, corporate campaigns." Both the UPS and BART contracts contain "no-strike" clauses, as do 96 to 98 percent of all union contracts. In the end, we gained binding arbitration, which gives us a new option for settling grievances.

We fought back and won on maintaining health benefits for full- and half-time employees and their families. Workers with less than half-time status never received benefits under our old union contract. We gained a retirement package that never existed under the old contract.

Curran goes on: "Some of the station's most high-profile journalists say Pacifica officials strong-armed the vote." We are left to wonder who he is referring to.

During our negotiations the union body was forced into an unprecedented and painful vote to remove Dennis Bernstein as a union steward. He was removed because he undermined our ability to negotiate our union contract by violating voted-upon union decisions, such as maintaining the confidentiality of the membership.

Contrary to Curran's article, there have been no firings at KPFA. Four union members have been laid off. Management claims this occurred for economic reasons. The union has filed seven grievances on their behalf.

It is also important to note here that while the unpaid staff were taken out of our bargaining unit, organizing efforts are currently being waged by CWA with the full support and encouragement of the paid staff.

With all of the hits the station has taken over the last three years, we have these messages for our community: First, the unpaid and paid staff, volunteers, and listener supporters are the "radio" in Pacifica Radio. This is a valuable but fragile progressive community institution, and nobody knows that better than the unpaid and paid staff and volunteers at KPFA.

Secondly, we are committed to keeping this station thriving into the 21st century and beyond. The need for a progressive voice is at least as important today as it was almost 50 years ago. We are asking the community to support us as workers and to show your strongest support for our upcoming October fundraising marathon. We cannot continue what we do at KPFA without you. If we do not make our marathon fundraising goals, more layoffs are in the wind.

Aileen Alfandary, news codirector; Mark Mericle, news codirector; Chuy Varela, music director; Susan Stone, drama and literature/union steward; Carrie Core, producer, Morning Show; Philip Maldari, cohost, Morning Show; Kris Welch, cohost, Morning Show; Asata Iman, training director; Michael Yoshida, senior technical engineer; Chupoo Alafonte, computer services director; Barbara Fisher, maintenance engineer/Union steward; Abby Rose, subscriptions director; Allison Rolls, receptionist KPFA, Berkeley

Ron Curran responds: KPFA staffers who are upset with Bay Guardian fact-gathering should direct their anger toward Pacifica executive director Pat Scott, who has apparently ordered a blanket ban on providing the paper with information on any story involving the station. Scott refused to return my calls to confirm details and get KPFA's side for either of my two recent columns on the contract battle. Pacifica spokesperson Burton Glass told me, "For the Bay Guardian, no comment." Scott declined to call me back despite my suggestion that we meet to discuss upcoming Pacifica issues and her freeze-out of the paper, although I had told her we wanted only to confirm the accuracy of our reporting. Meanwhile, I quoted CWA spokesperson Bill Harvey extensively in the disputed column on what he saw as the negotiated benefits of the approved agreement, but Harvey declined to provide even a final vote tally, perhaps because it would have confirmed the deep division among the rank-and-file staffers who had voted to reject the initial version of the contract.