>From: James Carrott >Subject: Pacifica story 8/7/96 > >The following story was aired on WORT FM's "In Our Backyard" Wednesday >August 7th. (Madison, WI) > >Reporter: Jaclyn Jacunski >Producer: James Carrott > >Pacifica Labor Summertime Blues > > Community radio station WBAI in New York plans to air a labor >program called "Union Summer." The program is designed to report >labor-related events around the U.S. Many supporters of community radio, >however, feel that the station has plenty of labor issues to deal with on >its own. Currently WBAI is owned by Pacifica, and alternative national news >network whose programming is carried here on WORT. > Pacifica radio has hired a labor relations firm, the American >Consulting Group, which the AFL-CIO has labelled as a union buster. >Pacifica's proposed new labor contract would remove WBAI's unpaid staff from >the collective bargaining unit and therefore from union protection. The >contract was proposed in order to professionalize progressive radio, even >though many of the volunteers have been working at the station for many >years. Pat Scott, Pacifica's Executive Director, said that their audience >has increased since they began making program changes over the past year. >She feels that this expansion goes along with their commitment to provide >voice to the disempowered. > WBAI employees are standing united in support of the volunteers. >Ken Nash, organizer of the program "Union Summer" said that Pacifica has >been unwilling to compromise on these issues and doesn't see the necessity >of cutting out the unpaid workers. He told W-O-R-T that "the station has >worked this way for a number of years and has been very successful because >of volunteer staff." > Pacifica's connection with the American Consulting Group has been a >problem for the network, whose audience and supporters are strongly >pro-labor, and Pacifica announced it will not be renewing their contract >with the group. They have not, however, made a commitment to support their >union, and are continuing to professionalize the station at the cost of >their volunteer base. WBAI general manager Valerie Van Isler did not return >our call. >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- >James Carrott >carrott@cs.wisc.edu >Department of Computer Sciences >1210 West Dayton Street >Madison, WI 53706 >(608)262-5776 >----------------------------------------------------------------------------