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 →