On December 17th, 2009, dozens of supporters of the KPFA-Pacifica show Flashpoints, which is also carried around the country, went to the station to hear a report on the layoffs and attacks on the show by the KPFA management. After Manager Lemlem Rijio vacated the building to avoid answering questions, Amelia Gonzalez, the assistant manager, told the rally that the station had violated the union contract and laid off staff disregarding the seniority list. She said they were in discussion with CWA 9415 on how they could have layoffs without regard to the station wide seniority list.

The first victim of this new cutback campaign was Eric Klein, Flashpoints' technical producer and engineer, whose half-time position was eliminated with no advance notice on December 7; Dennis Bernstein, the show's host, wasn't informed until he went looking for Klein an hour before airtime. After co-host Nora Barrows-Friedman emailed station manager Lemlem Rijio seeking an explanation and making the case that the show requires a technical producer, Rijio invited her to "share her concerns" in person. When they met on December 9, Barrows-Friedman argued that it was "unreasonable" to expect her to absorb Klein's work on top of her other responsibilities, whereupon Rijio "casually" informed her that her hours were being cut in half, from 40 to 20 per week, effective immediately.

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