Save Our Station

Posting article from National Lawyers Guild's New York City News (Fighting for social Justice for 60 Years)

FOR OVER A YEAR NOW, New York's radio station WBAI (99.5 FM) has been embattled in a labor dispute which will determine whether it survives as a truly community-based, public affairs radio station. Most of the union staff are unpaid volunteers, but have for years had union representation in contract negotiations over working conditions and programming. These unpaid workers are responsible for the design and execution of many of the programs popular among listeners and contributors to this "listener-sponsored," community based station. Now, these workers are threatened with loss of representation and collective bargaining rights due to an NLRB petition brought on by their employer, the Pacifica Foundation, which owns the station license. In a brief submitted to the NLRB, the union (Local 404, United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America) supports the continued inclusion of unpaid staff within the existing bargaining unit. Many of the paid staff are not behind this petition and may prefer a separate unit.

S.O.S. ("Save Our Station"), an ad hoc organization of listeners and producers, is fighting the threatened changes in working conditions and programming and has been heard by the labor committee as well as other interested Guild members. Issues include cutbacks in public affairs programming among the four out-of-state sister stations, and dubious compliance with the "open meetings" provisions of the pertinent regulations of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. For example, in August, 1995, Pacifica KPFA in Berkeley eliminated more than 40 unpaid programmers, and soon thereafter, shows on labor, Indian struggles, civil liberties, prisons, gay rights, Central America and bilingual Spanish programming were canceled. "Open meetings" are neither advertised nor open for significant discussion, effectively preventing the community from voicing its concerns about the future of WBAI. Additionally, Pacifica has issued a gag-rule, preventing WBAI staff from talking about these issues on the air and even prohibiting informational picket lines.

The Guild NYC Chapter has joined SOS's effort with a letter to Pacifica's Board and station, supporting the rights of unpaid staff and requesting reassurances regarding the participation of listener-supporters in debates on programming policy at WBAI. You can get involved, too.

Write WBAI management at: WBAI Radio, 505 8th Avenue, NY, NY 10018 (a copy of the NLG/NYC Chapter is available at the Guild office).

Call WBAI show hosts. While they cannot talk about it, you, as a listener can raise these issues. Call (212) 279-3400.

Call or write Pacifica's Executive Director, Pat Scott at: Pacifica Foundation, 1929 Martin Luther King Way, Berkeley, CA 94704. Telephone (510) 848-0130. Email pacno@pacifica.org.

For regular updates call the S.O.S. hotline (212) 465-7562