18 August 2007 KPFA LSB Motion Regarding UPSO

MOTION REGARDING THE UNPAID STAFF ORGANIZATION
(Passed 13-0-5 on 18 August 2007)

WHEREAS, KPFA's unpaid-staff members are a vital part of the station, constitute a majority of the staff, and are responsible for the majority of KPFA's broadcast hours, and

WHEREAS, KPFA's Unpaid Staff Organization ("UPSO") has existed since the 1980s to represent the interests and concerns of unpaid-staff members, and

WHEREAS, the UPSO's Bylaws provide for a five-member UPSO Council to be elected by the membership, and

WHEREAS, the incumbent USPO Council members have failed to hold monthly Council meetings and quarterly membership meetings as required by the UPSO Bylaws, and

WHEREAS, the incumbent UPSO Council members, elected in 2005, have exceeded their one-year terms and have failed to organize new unpaid-staff elections, and

WHEREAS, a committee of unpaid-staff members has organized a new election for UPSO Council representatives and for unpaid-staff representatives to the Program Council, has mailed ballots for said election, and will count the returned ballots and announce the election results on or about August 21, 2007, and

WHEREAS, the new UPSO Council members are prepared to take office immediately upon notification of their election, and to promptly resume the duties set forth in the UPSO Bylaws, and

WHEREAS, KPFA's interim General Manager distributed by email on Monday, August 13, 2007, a memorandum dated August 10, 2007, and declaring, "there is no management recognized 'unpaid staff organization.'" and

WHEREAS, the above memorandum also declares that unpaid-staff members will qualify to run and vote in the 2007 LSB election by working at least 30 hours for the station between June 1st, 2007 and August 31st, 2007, and

WHEREAS, the above 30-hours-in-three-months qualification differs from the 30-hours-in-twelve-months qualification that was used in the 2006 LSB election, in compliance with the direction of the 2006 National Election Supervisor, and

WHEREAS, the change of qualification standard has the potential to disqualify many unpaid staff from running or voting in the 2007 LSB election, and management announced the change with less than three weeks remaining in the qualification period, and

WHEREAS, the continuation of an active UPSO is essential to the unpaid staff and to the station generally, and

WHEREAS, it is unsound and unfair to attempt to change the qualifications for unpaid-staff members to participate in the LSB elections when the qualification period is almost over,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, by the KPFA Local Station Board, that KPFA management should:

immediately withdraw, in its entirety, the above-described memorandum claiming to derecognize the UPSO and alter the standard for unpaid-staff participation in the 2007 LSB election.
acknowledge that the UPSO continues to be the legitimate representative of KPFA's unpaid staff.
respect the outcome of the new UPSO elections by admitting the elected Program-Council representatives to Program-Council meetings as the representatives of the unpaid staff.
provide access to KPFA meeting rooms when requested by the UPSO Council for UPSO meetings or other UPSO business.
cooperate with the UPSO Council by placing information on the UPSO page of KPFA's web site when requested by the UPSO Council, and sending out UPSO announcements on the KPFA email list when requested by the UPSO Council.
assist the UPSO Council when the Council prepares an updated list of unpaid-staff members eligible to run and vote in the staff component of the 2007 Local Station Board election.