T.R. explains the supposed PNB "Purge List"

A personal statement written by Tracy Rosenberg, in response to the on-air attacks that were leveled against Tracy, Joe Wanzala and Shahram Aghamir, [KPFA delegates to the Pacifica National Board] on the closing days (9/29 & 9/30/2010) of the KPFA LSB election, by Mitch Jeserich (Letters to Washington), Brian Edwards Tiekert (Morning Show) and CS Soong (Against the Grain):
[See the charges at this website: http://kpfaworker.wordpress.com ]

The critical element from Tracy's below statement is her reference to the alternative staff reduction plan, proposed by KPFA management, at this "secret" meeting, which is clearly in violation of the paid staff's union contract. (Chandra)

Date: Fri, 15 Oct 2010
From: Tracy Rosenberg
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
this is just a letter from myself to you and reflects only
my own experiences. . . . . . . . . . .

Firstly, thank you for returning me to the board and as the 2nd place
finisher overall out of 27. I am honored by the trust you have placed
in me, especially with such disturbing rhetoric flying around in a
circus-like atmosphere.

On September 20th, I reported the unsuccessful outcome of 15 hours of
budgetary meetings to my colleagues on the Pacifica National Board. I
reported that a balanced budget had not been achieved. I am grateful
to Ms. Englehardt [Executive Director of Pacifica] that she listened to the
concerns and initiated conversations about them with the national directors
from the KPFA unit (one of whom, Andrea Turner of Concerned Listeners,
declined the invitation).

On September 22nd, I listened to and participated in a brainstorming
session. . . . . . . . . . .I listened to KPFA's interim management present a
plan to deal with the budget deficit.
That plan was to remove Flashpoints from the 5pm evening slot and
replace it with a syndicated news program from an external source. To
remove Hard Knock radio from the 4pm evening slot and replace it with
a syndicated Baltimore NPR program hosted by Michael Dyson. I listened
to a plan to implement staff cuts in these positions in the seniority
chart (1 being the highest seniority): #9, #10, #13, #14, #15, #18,
#20 and #26. . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . .
I had reviewed the CWA Local
9415 [KPFA's paid staff's union] contract. I had reviewed the staff seniority
chart. I had thought about the structural problems that might result from
implementing the contract as written, namely that seniority must prevail.
A more intelligible, ethical, reasonable and labor positive conversation
would have looked more like this: #36, #34, #32, #31, # 29, #28, #27,
#25, #24 and #23 (with a few skips mostly linked to shop steward
status, core operational functions and in one case, the non-viability
of replacement by a more senior individual).

And presto - there's your "political hit list".
[The list publicized by the CL/Save KPFA & staff members as a politically
motivated hit list, removing KPFA's most popular & valuable programs,
they said, was Tracy's union seniority list]

A few notes for the record:

*There is no misdirected email. The contents of the meeting were not emailed.
[The non-factual reporters of malfeasance claimed that they got the information from a misdirected email.]
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

*News and information on our radio station has been subordinated to a
job self-preservation campaign featuring the hostile profiling of PNB
members engaged in their fiduciary duties . The radio is not to be
used to incite opposition to financial planning. That is not what it
is for.

*One of KPFA's shop stewards who stopped by the PNB meeting in New
York City where the board of directors unanimously supported the
Pacifica executive director in implementing seniority-based layoffs to
bring expenses into line with revenue at the Berkeley unit,* was told
PNB members would be happy to meet with staff on their return. No
request has been made with 24 hours notice or when I, myself, was not
physically on an airplane at the time.

* [The following motion was passed unanimously at the Pacifica Foundation Board meeting in executive session on Sunday, October 3, 2010:
"The Pacifica Foundation Board fully supports the Pacifica Foundation Executive Director in the difficult task of balancing the KPFA budget; utilizing the staff cuts recommended by the Executive Director in accordance with principles she has enunciated, of respect for seniority, recognition of skill sets and maintaining the programming grid to the extent possible." ]

*The Local 9415 of the CWA (a union whose national office I have
cordial relations with and have worked with some in opposition to the
Comcast/NBC merger) is acting in an irresponsible manner. Siding with
management to advocate for unfair reductions that violate the basic
seniority provisions in their own contract and endorsing slates in
board elections is the kind of behavior that gives unions a bad name.**
** See http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2010/10/02/18660502.php

Let's remember the context. We have lost a million dollars in 24
months. We are out of money. In the last month, KPFA borrowed money
from the Houston station to make its payroll, had its long distance
telephone service cut off and its online archives collapse.

KPFA in 2009-2010 looks to have the largest deficit and the largest
payroll in the network. It is a failing unit.

KPFK in Los Angeles has a bigger signal area, is not posting massive
deficits, and does it with about 24 FTE. [Full Time Hours] KPFA is currently
at 30.51 and after ``decimation'' as it was so hysterically described, would also
be at approximately 24 FTE.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Tracy Rosenberg