UE LOCALS RESIST UNIONBUSTING AT THREE PACIFICA STATIONS

UE locals on both coasts are resisting attempts by the Pacifica 
Foundation to undermine their unions and compromise the quality
of programming at radio stations in New York City, Berkeley and Los 
Angeles.

As Congress cuts back federal support for public broadcasting, 
Pacifica appears to be adopting a corporate model and "rationalizing"
operating procedures.

At KPFA in Berkeley, UE local 1412 members earlier this year asked 
for a one-year extension of the expiring contract. Management 
refused, attempted to terminate the agreement and hired a profssional 
unionbuster to handle negotiations.

The Pacifica Foundation's executive director contracted with a second 
management consultant to draft a contract that would be the basis for 
management's relationship with Pacifica's employees at all three 
unionized stations.

"The first article of this contract, the recognition clause, would 
virtually decertify the KPFA union since it excludes from union 
membership all supervisors, all on-air personnel, including producers 
and volunteer workers. That clause alone would wipe out all but a 
handful of our union," local 1412 says.

UE members, who raise funds for the stations in appeals that stress
Pacifica's committment to social justice, strongly object to having 
those same funds pay for unionbusters.

Local 404 members at WBAI in New York are also resisting attempts to 
eliminate the station's fair hiring procedures, reduce vacation time 
and holidays, raise medical insurance costs and rewrite the grievance 
procedure.

"Also included are management's demands for a 'no strike clause' 
which would prohibit even informational picket lines at what was 
formerly described as 'free speech radio,'" say Local 404 stewards.

Local 1421 members at KPFK in Los Angeles have beeen facing
similar attacks. Their contract expired in 1991; UE members have been
trying to negotiate ever since. They took a pay cut in 1994 and have 
not had a wage increase since, due largely to management failures at 
KPFK. Yet UE members have continued to produce the progressive 
programs that gain listener support for the Pacifica stations.

Local 1421 members are asking for the support of all UE locals in 
their struggle. UE locals are asked to write, call or fax one or all 
of the Pacifica Foundation officials and ask them to separate 
themselves from all ties to the American Consulting Group, the 
management consultants, and negotiate a fair and equitable contract
with UE local 1421, and the other UE locals.

Contact: Jack O'Dell,  Chairman, Pacifica Foundation, 702 H St. NW, 
Washington, DC 20001: telephone 202-783-3100,
facsimile 202-737-3723: Ms. Pat Scott, Executive Director, Pacifica 
Foundation, 1929 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley, CA 94704; 
telephone 510-843-0130, facsimile 510-845-0289; Mark Schubb, Station 
Manager, KPFK. 3729 Cahuenga Blvd West, North Hollywood, CA 91604
telephone 818-985-2711, facsimile 818-763-7526