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An above-average turnout, due to forthcoming LSB consideration of General Manager candidates. Here's the recorded audio.

By Tracy Rosenberg and Ruthanne Shpiner (10-05-07)

This August KPFA's Unpaid Staff Organization elected a new Council and representatives to the station's Program Council. Here's the comprehensive report from that election.

Pending the verification and accuracy of signatures. Names listed in bold are staff candidates [apparently the staff nomination deadline is now 1 October]:

PRESS ADVISORY

August 28, 2007

Contact: Tracy Rosenberg (510-684-6853) Interim Director, Media Alliance

TWO MEDIA-WORKER COLLECTIVES ATTACKED ON SAME DAY: NORTHERN CALIFORNIA MEDIA GUILD UNION AND KPFA UNPAID STAFF ORGANIZATION BOTH DEPRIVED OF MANAGEMENT RECOGNITION

THE EASTBAY-CALIFORNIA- Within hours of each other, two remarkably similar memos went out at two Bay Area media institutions. Each constitutes an attack on media workers' organizations; one is directed against paid employees, the other against volunteers.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 28, 2007

Contact: Tracy Rosenberg (510-684-6853) Interim Director, Media Alliance

KPFA MANAGEMENT "DERECOGNIZES" UNPAID-WORKERS ORGANISATION

BERKELEY-CALIFORNIA -- Volunteer workers at Berkeley's venerable KPFA radio received an unhappy surprise on August 13, when a memo went out declaring that the unpaid workers' organization was no longer recognized by station management.

The results of the 2007 Unpaid Staff Organization (UPSO), in order of vote preference, are:

UNPAID STAFF ORGANIZATION COUNCIL

1. Malihe Razazan
2. Anthony Fest
3. Bonnie Faulkner
4. Nick Alexander
5. Ruthanne Shpiner

PROGRAM COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES

1. Shahram Aghamir
2. Mary Berg
3. Lisa Dettmer
4. J R Valrey
5. Serge Morel (alternate)

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS!

21% of the unpaid staff voted.
Of 208 available voters, 43 ballots were counted

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

From Greg Guma, Pacifica Foundation Executive Director
Received August 16, 2007

Dear PNB,

My apology for the delay in my response to recent debates and requests regarding election and membership matters. Rather than reply in haste, I wanted to review the range of opinion, do some research, and consider the appropriate response. Clearly, there is more than one issue on the table, and I won't get to all of them here.

From: General Manager's Office
To: All Unpaid Staff
Re: Unpaid Staff Organization
Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2007 13:52:08 -0700

The purpose of this memo is to clarify the role of unpaid staff at
KPFA and the unpaid staff organization's relationship to
KPFA/Pacifica.

According to the Pacifica Bylaws Section 1 B:

"Staff Members" shall be: (1) any non-management full-time or
part-time paid employee of a Foundation radio station; or (2) any
member of a Foundation radio station "Unpaid Staff Organization" or