Protest Banning Of KPFA Labor Collective Programming
Submitted on Fri, 07/21/2006 - 3:51am
Disclaimer - This is neither an official campaign of the Bay Area IWW General Membership Branch, nor is it a campaign of the IWW as awhole. This appeal is published in solidarity with the volunteers of the KPFA Labor Collective:
On March 8, 2006, the KPFA Program Council and the management of KFPA banned any further labor programming proposals from the KPFA Labor Collective for one year. This is even longer than the anti-labor Taft-Hartley which prevents strikes and lock-outs for 90 days.
The KFPA Labor Collective has produced labor programming for many years on Labor Day, May Day, MLK day and on Workers Memorial Day.
The Program Council instituted this ban without allowing the KFPA Labor Collective the opportunity to refute false charges against us.
At the same time more than 60% of the programming on KFPA is by music programmers while many of the working class issues that people face every day are kept off the air.
The KFPA Labor Collective has members from many unions including SEIU 616, NALC 214, IBT Local 70, SEIU UHW, IUOE 39, SEIU 1000. It has also received support from the San Francisco Labor Council, the Contra Costa Labor Council and many other trade unionists for a regular weekly one hour program.
Unfortunately, the KPFA management and some of the staff are not
interested in more community programming at KFPA. Some programmers have had their time slots for 20 and 30 years and they have many hours every week while labor and other community programmers are prevented from having regular programming.
The latest statement from Acting Manager Lemlem Rijio again supports the illegal banning by the Program Council and states that managment supports it despite the fact that there have been no hearings on the reason for the banning and no transparency on this flagrant act of censorship and intimidation. This will not stand.
KFPA is an important community resource for all the people of the bay area. It has the potential of reaching 6 to 7 million people in our
region and it is critical that it provide regular labor programming.
The banning for "disruption" and taking too much "time" to review labor programming proposals from the KPFA Labor Collective is unacceptable and an attack on labor free speech rights. It was also outside the rights of the Program Council and has been challenged by many members of the Local Station Board
We call for supporters of more labor programming to attend the
upcoming KPFA Local Station Board meeting on Saturday August 19, 2006 at 11:00 AM at Freight and Salvage in Berkeley1111 Addison/San Pablo near University Ave in Berkeley
We also call on all supporters of more labor programming on KFPA to
send letters.
Please go to the http://www.kpfa.org and email:
KPFA Local Station Board
Acting KPFA Manager Lemlem Rijio at 1929 MLK Bld Berkeley, CA
Pacifica Executive Director Greg Guma greg [at] pacifica.org
Please send a copy to http://www.kpfalaborcollective.org
Ms. Rijio's letter:
KPFA Acting Manager Lemlem Rijio
To: KPFA Local Station Board
From: Interim General Manager, Lemlem Rijio
Date: July 16, 2006
Administration
Program Council---The station management agrees with members of the LSB that the KPFA program council does not have any authority in personnel matters. However, the council¹s decision to ask a group of producers to hold-off submitting proposals for a year based on its own working relationship (or lack of) with the group of producers seems well within the authority of the program council.
I have asked our HR consultant to investigate whether there are any
personnel matters that require resolution. I expect a follow up report
from him in a few weeks.