Tag Archives: arbitration

Pacifica in Exile Newsletters

A Little California Fraud

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Berkeley –  Los Angeles station KPFK recently lost a large multi-grievance union arbitration with the station’s SAG-AFTRA bargaining unit after new manager Leslie Radford imposed unilateral work hour reductions, fired two employees and denied severance benefits. The settlement amount is at least $200,000 and will include back pay to approximately 20 employees whose hours were cut, the re-hire of two fired employees and the payment of at least four previously denied severance packages.

The preliminary decision and award from arbitrator Louis S. Zigman, Esq. was issued on May 31, 2016, after two arbitration hearings were held on January 21, 2016 and March 22, 2016. This is what it says.  Continue reading A Little California Fraud →

Pacifica in Exile Newsletters

Solidarity Never

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News and Information about Pacifica Radio

Berkeley-8 KPFA Communications Workers of America (CWA) union members (Miguel Guerrero, Bob Baldock, Aileen Alfandary, Phillip Maldari, Sasha Lilley, Kris Welch, Brian Edwards-Tiekert and Mitch Jeserich) have failed to respond to a question from this publication about union-busting activities at sister station KPFK.

Two weeks before SAG-AFTRA enters into the biggest Pacifica labor arbitration in the past 15 years with over 20 grievances filed, the KPFA 8 affixed their name to a promotional election postcard. The postcard endorsed the re-election of Margy Wilkinson, whose appointment of Leslie Radford on her last day as Pacifica’s volunteer executive director precipitated the union crisis at KPFK. A long list of grievances with Radford were laid out by SAG-AFTRA members in a letter of no confidence, signed by 27 KPFK staff members including shop steward Christine Blosdale and Uprising host Sonali Kolhatkar. Former KPFA-CWA members John Hamilton and Esther Manilla also signed the letter of no confidence alleging union busting activities. The  election postcard went on to accuse listener candidates running in opposition to Wilkinson as “defending anti-union activities of previous regimes”.

When asked point blank if they were defending the anti-union activities of the currrent regime, the KPFA 8 individually and jointly refused to respond. It is extremely unusual for union members working for the same organization to seek to undermine each other during a labor action, especially so close to the beginning of arbitration. Among the issues that will be arbitrated are: Continue reading Solidarity Never →

Pacifica in Exile Newsletters

SAG-AFTRA Union Takes Pacifica Into Arbitration Alleging Bust of Collective Bargaining Agreement

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Berkeley – On Thursday, the SAG-AFTRA labor union filed a demand for arbitration with the American Arbitration Association. The union stated to its members their position that Pacifica is in ongoing violation of the collective bargaining agreement. The Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Radio and Television Artists represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other media professionals. Three of Pacifica’s  four unionized stations are represented by SAG-AFTRA, one in Berkeley by the Communication Workers of America (CWA) and the Houston station remains non-unionized.  Continue reading SAG-AFTRA Union Takes Pacifica Into Arbitration Alleging Bust of Collective Bargaining Agreement →