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Indybay Feature

Stop the unfair attacks on labor practices being imposed on workers at KPFK

by Ali Lexa
This is a petition to send a message to the Pacifica Radio National Board and Executive Director to stop the Corporate style, heavy handing dealing with cutting and "taking back" earned benefits from its hard working staff.
Please add your voice in support of staff and demand that the ED and boards stop attacking labor rights at KPFK and resume good faith negotiations.

http://www.change.org/KPFK-Workers-Rights

Drastic cuts, layoffs and unfair labor proposals are being pushed on us. Please sign this petition to let the governing bodies of Pacifica know that you want them to negotiate fairly and in good faith. To show some appreciation to the many years of hard work and dedication that many of the staff has invested in keeping KPFK on the air.

Here are the details -

The KPFK Collective Bargaining Unit (Terry Guy, Ali Lexa & Kiyana Williams) along with our SAG/Aftra Union Reps (Patricia Morgan & Ann Hall) have been negotiating with the Pacifica iED (Lydia Brazon) and attorney Warren Nelson, a partner of the Corporate law firm of Fisher Phillips LLP, for over eight months.

Our team has made every effort in good faith bargaining. We understand cost reductions must be made. We have given up many concessions, benefits and accepted cuts and eliminations, currently saving the station approx. $300,000 annually (details below).

The main point that we are stuck in, is the “Take Back” of earned severances of existing staff. iED Brazon and Nelson have insisted on reducing the severance to a maximum of 4 weeks. We have said that we are willing to accept that moving forward. However, Brazon/Nelson have insisted that this reduction in severance would be retroactive. In other words “Taking Back” ALL earned severance over four weeks. The current max on severance is 26 weeks. This is earned severance that people have worked hard for many years to accumulate.

As I wrote, the collective bargaining unit is prepared to accept the new lower maximum severance. We are only asking that existing staff be “grandfathered” in, so that they don’t lose the severance they have earned. Unfortunately, Brazon/Nelson have refused to budge an inch on this item. In fact, the negotiations from the Pacifica side have been hardball, aggressive, lacking in compassion and frankly the exact opposite of what you would expect from an organization that brags about being “for the people”, “in support of labor”, “supporters of unions” and “conscientious”. It has been behaving more like an organization like Walmart, with no appreciation for its workers.

Eliminating the existing, earned severance does nothing to lower the daily operating costs of the station. It only makes it as cheap and easy as possible to lay people off.

We have already laid off Eight staff members and three have resigned. Possibly more will be resigning soon, yet the negotiations still seem to be focused on easy layoffs of key, popular, successful fund-raising personnel.

Due to the extreme reduction in our health coverage, those of us with dependents now have a huge chunk of our pay deducted to cover our children and/or spouses. In some cases, making it hard to bring home a living wage. There is some staff that have asked for a voluntary lay off, partly due to this, however they have been refused the right to leave the station on their own terms. Other staff has offered to voluntarily go to part time. These offers also appear to have been rejected.

From a purely financial point of view, it doesn’t make sense to refuse these voluntary reductions while continuing to dig in on cutting severance so they can lay off other, targeted individuals.

Here is a list of some of the concessions we have already accepted –

- Wage Freeze

- Our 401(a) pension was eliminated in January (over $30,000 annual savings). BTW- We are still waiting to receive our outstanding vested amounts from that pension.

- A Huge reduction in our Health Coverage. We now have to pay a much higher co-pay and we have to pay half of the coverage for any dependents. We’ve also accepted the “working spouse rule” (if a spouse has health care, we are excluded from KPFK health care if we can get on spouse's). Over $110,000 savings per year

- Parental/Maternity Leave reduction

- Hiring Freeze (even though it appears there have been new hires at the station we didn't ask for)

They are also proposing these additional cuts:
- Less vacation than what is in the Pacifica employee handbook, even less than what non-union workers get.
- Reduction of childcare reimbursement, which has been an employee benefit for at least a decade.
- Reduction or elimination of all benefits for part time workers.

The station managers took a voluntary 10% pay cut. Regardless of that, they were all laid off, except the business manager who is now back to full time status.

Here are the union and non-union staff we’ve already lost-

Laid Off:
Union: Alan Minsky, Dan Fritz, Ernesto Arce
Non Union: Liset Tapia, Christine Blosdale, Kevin Fleming, Tony Bates, Andrea Billow

Resigned:
Union: Johnathan Alexander Non Union: Anyel Fields, Ricky Herrera

On Leave, future status TBD: Union: Teddy Robinson, Sonali Kolhatkar, Anna Buss

Current salary savings including all cuts mentioned above -approx $300, 000 annually

Overall we have reduced KPFK’s operating expenses by at least 28% This includes the benefit cuts, concessions, layoffs and elimination of various services and subscriptions.

I appeal to all of you to encourage the current iED to consider bargaining in good faith and coming to humane and realistic compromises on the severance and other issues so that we can all sign a contract that we can live with.

Currently they plan to “force” their contract, without our requested compromises, on us this Aug 1st 2021.

Thank you for your consideration and support of workers' rights,

Ali Lexa KPFK Web Director SAG/Aftra Collective Bargaining Unit
Member - KPFK Local Station Board - Pacifica National Board
by Stop Double Standards
sm_masters_ian_kpfk.jpg
This appeal against supposed anti-labor attacks on the KPFK staff ring hollow when one looks at their support for actions and management that harm the station financially and in the media.
While they complain about anti-labor actions by Pacifica they were completely silent when the PNB representative that they support shut down WBAI. Some leading staff members and on air hosts of KPFK supported the open and flagrant union busting at WBAI and supported Pacifica board members who supported it.
Apparently union busting in NY at WBAI is ok but it is not ok at KPFK according to their logic.
The fact is, that it is under the past management and the present on air hosts, the listenership has collapsed and they had accumulated a deficit of over $800,000 at KPFK.
These are the same people who have been in charge of the station.
Although management was told to reduce the costs, the past management rejected taking any actions. This union opposed previous actions to cut staff costs with the support of the staff union and media prima donnas at the station.
Instead they blamed the Pacifica National Board for the financial crisis. The solution is putting on programming that will get support in the communities and working class. This is something that the past management was opposed to and the staff have opposed new programming giving voices to the communities and working class in Los Angeles.
If donations to the station are not able to fund a large paid staff you have to return to volunteer programmers and the roots of community radio.
The previous management of KPFK and KPFA have adopted the NPR agenda and strip programming mode of operation. This is NOT working and will not save KPFK or any of the other stations on Pacifiica.
The latest example of their political bankruptcy and duplicity is the actions of their supporter Ian Masters who has been using the KPFK airwaves to attack the Pacifica National Board and also has also urged people not to contribute to KPFK. Is this a wrecking operation or what?
This has been going on for many months and not a word from the union about an on the air host openly attacking not only Pacifica but KPFK and demanding that listeners should not contribute. This programmer has also been supported Sharon Kyle and Jan Goodman who unsuccessfully pushed the corporate top down bylaws.
They and their supporters at KPFA blamed the PNB for the $800,000 deficit and consciously put out attacks on the PNB for this deficit at KPFK knowing that this was a lie. The KPFA supporters on the Local Station Board repeated these falsifications in order to support their corporate bylaw proposal that would put Sharon Kyle and Jan Goodman in charge of the network.
The KPFK staff also prevented more than one debate on the bylaws for listeners. Instead they heard over and over on the air from Ian Masters and others blaming the PNB and the bad bylaws for the crisis.
This was one of the reasons that many listeners supported the bylaw proposal which was funded by over $100,000 in dark money funding.
Bylaw supporter Sharon Kyle defending not reporting on where these large donations were coming from. This is another example of the fact that this was an organized corporate raid on Pacifica supported by Ian Masters and his co-hort Sonali Kolhatkar.
Here is the actual statements of Masters that apparently are completely legitimate according to the staff union leadership.

These same people are still denying that they lost the election claiming that the staff vote really does not count. Is this the position of the KPFK union leadership that the staff vote should not count at Pacifica and allowing programmers at KPFK putting out such fake propaganda?

[TRANSCRIPTS OF IAN MASTERS EDITORIAL STATEMENTS ON BACKGROUND BRIEFING KPFK, JULY 15-22, 2021]

filename: kpfk_210715_170000bbriefing.mp3



And before we begin, the results of the Pacific and bylawsreferendum are in and what appears to be a clear victory for the yes side whowere advocating reform is in dispute because the no side the status quo, areclaiming they won, like Trump's victory in 2016. The no side are claimingvictory because they weren't on a technicality. Not unlike the ElectoralCollege, when Hillary Clinton won by 3 million popular votes, but some arelost. And while the electoral college anomaly is in the Constitution, no suchjustification apparently exists for the no side who are claiming victory basedon the technicality that both staff and listener votes did not gain a majority.Something the yes side say they did not agree to so litigation will surelyfollow. Among listeners, the real owners of Pacifica, the yes vote was 6640.And the no vote was 5216. But among the staff, the no vote was 255. And the yeswas 180. In other words, yes, one by 1424 votes, but lost by 75 votes. Thismeans for the moment, the current bylaws and regime stay in place. Go figure.



AGAIN, SAME FILE, PRESUMABLY IN THE SAME BROADCAST



And again, the results of the Pacific bylaws referendum arein and what appears to be a clear victory for the yes side who were advocatingreform is in dispute because the no side the status quo, are claiming they won,like Trump's victory in 2016. The no side of claiming victory because they weren'ton a technicality. Not unlike the Electoral College, when Hillary Clinton wonby 3 million popular votes, but some are lost. And while the electoral collegeanomaly is in the Constitution, no such justification apparently exists for theno side who are claiming victory based on the technicality that both staff andlistener votes did not gain a majority, something the side say they did notagree to. So litigation will surely follow. Among listeners, the real owners ofPacifica, the yes vote was 6640. And the no vote was 5216. But among the staff,the no vote was 255. And the s was 180. In other words, yes, one by 1424 votes,but lost by 75 votes. This means for the moment, the current bylaws and regimestay in place. Go figure.



******** ******



kpfk_210718 Background Briefing TRANSCRIPT



And before we begin, the results of the Pacific bylawsreferendum show a decisive victory for the side who were advocating reform. Butjust like Donald Trump, the incumbent no side representing the status quo, are claimingthey want a victory they clearly lost among listeners, the real owners ofPacifica, the yes vote was 6640 and the no vote was 5216. But among the staffthe no vote was 255 and yes was 180. Although the current bylaws do not say thestaff vote can overrule the overall vote. The no side are claiming victorybased on 75 votes, even though the yes side one by 1424 votes. Now thisillegitimate regime is furiously trying to rush through new board elections.And the head of the no campaign Pacific as Interim Executive Director, whoclaims to be a volunteer just awarded herself a $80,000 a year contract andappointed a new General Manager for kpfk from the Spanish language collective.Given that the current leadership in Pacifica who ran on a platform of savingdemocracy, but are now ignoring the results of a democratic election, the 6640majority of members who voted for reform appear to have no other recourse butto write to the charities division of the Office of California's AttorneyGeneral, in demand that a California foundation with a storied history in thisstate has been hijacked and must be returned to its rightful owners.





******** ******



filename: kpfk_210719_170000bbriefing.mp3



And before we begin, the results of the Pacific bylawsreferendum show a decisive victory for the yes side who were advocating reform.But just like Donald Trump, the incumbent no side representing the status quo,are claiming they won an election they clearly lost among listeners, the realowners of Pacifica, the yes vote was 6640 and the no vote was 5216. But amongthe staff the no vote was 255 and yes was 180. Although the current bylaws donot say the staff vote can overrule the overall vote. The no side are claimingvictory based on 75 votes, even though the yes side one by 1424 votes. Now thisthe legitimate regime is furiously trying to rush through new board elections,and the head of the no campaign Pacific as Interim Executive Director, whoclaims to be a volunteer just awarded herself a generous salary, and appointedthe new General Manager for kpfk from the Spanish language collective. Giventhat the current leadership of Pacifica who ran on a platform of savingdemocracy, but are now ignoring the results of a democratic election, the 6640majority of members who voted for reform appear to have no other recourse butto write to the charities division of the Office of California Attorney Generaland demand that a California foundation with a storied history in this statehas been hijacked and must be returned to its rightful owners.





******** ******



filename: kpfk_210720_170000bbriefing.mp3



And before we begin, today is the first day of our latestfun drive. But we are raising funds for a completely illegitimate regime whojust lost a referendum by a vote of 6642 5216. Yet, they are claiming victory.So there is no way in in good conscience, one can support this illegitimateregime who clinging on to power and the status quo, which has brought Pacificato the brink of bankruptcy after 20 plus years of a dysfunctional, electoralsystem that 90% of our listeners do not participate in yet. These people whoare clinging to power, the only power and authority that they've ever had claimthat they are defending Pacific as democracy. Yet, when we have a democratic vote,as we did recently with this referendum on the bylaws, they pretend it didn'thappen just like Donald Trump. They are, in effect, stealing the election andhad Donald Trump succeeded in the last election. The public would be outraged.And, frankly, the 6640 members of Pacifica who voted whose votes are now beingtrampled on by these illegitimate incumbents are victims of this disgustinginsult. So since Roy of Hollywood, who along with me they want to fire came upwith this solution of encouraging people to become members of kpfk. So thatthey can give monthly donations, but if and when they see legitimate regimedecides to fire me and Roy and others, donors will be able to suspend theirdonations or if indeed, as should happen, this illegitimate regime should berun out of town by lawsuits, or by the charities division of the AttorneyGeneral the state of California. If this does not happen, then listeners whosupported these bylaw changes will be able to stop their donations. So in themeantime, I encourage people to donate and become monthly sustainers at8189855735818985 kpfk. This is your best way to fight against these specifictrumpsters who have stood On the election 8189855735818985 kpfk.





AGAIN, SAME FILE, PRESUMABLY IN THE SAME BROADCAST





And again, we are in the first day of our fund drive. But wecannot raise funds for an illegitimate regime that just stole the lastelection, which listeners soundly voted 6644 new bylaws against 5216 for thestatus quo. So the side that one by 1424 votes is now being told they lostbecause of 75 votes from the staff. So the selligent regime, of course, isrushing through new board elections, and the head of the no campaign justice,written myself a generous salary and appointed a new General Manager here at kpfk,from the Spanish language collective. So there's no way that you the majorityof listeners, who've been stiffed by these Pacifica trumpsters should becontributing to this illegitimate regime. And the only way around it that I cansee is that we raise funds here just like Royal Holloway, it is where weencourage you to become monthly sustainers. And the moment that Roy and I arefired, and if they see legitimate regime is not removed by the courts or by thecharities division of the Attorney General of the state of California, then thedonations can stop. But we have to keep funding kpfk. So that's why I encourageyou to become members, sustaining members on a monthly basis. And pledge watch,you can. But you also have the ability to protest against those who stole yourvote 8189855735818985 kpfk. Now wanted today's program.





AGAIN, THE THIRD TIME IN THE SAME FILE, PRESUMABLY IN THESAME BROADCAST



And again, this is the first day of our new fun drive. Andwe are of course trapped in a terrible situation where we're expected to raisefunds for a completely legitimate regime, who kpfk listeners and supporters andPacifica listeners and supporters across the country voted in a majority of6640 to 5216. To have new bylaws and to reform. This system of governance thathas over the last 20 plus years is brought Pacifica to the brink of insolvencyand has been the source of our dysfunction and division for decades. And everytime we have a professional manager, the boards fire them and put themselves incharge. And the person who's put themselves in charge has now just rewardedthemselves. who by the way is the head of the no campaign just rewarded herselfa generous salary. Meanwhile, she is cutting benefits salaries to the bone. Oh,who was left here at kpfk. They simply can't give up any more. But of course,these people are shameless, and they are holding on to power illegitimatelybecause that's apparently all they have. But you the listeners are beingstiffed by these Pacific trumpsters and your only recourse is to save thestation by donating but with the caveat that is on a monthly basis and that youcan pull your money out if this illegitimate regime is not removed by thecourts or by the charities division of the California Attorney General's Office818985573502 818985 kpfk And now on to the rest of background briefing.





******** ******



filename: kpfk_210721_170000bbriefing.mp3



And again, we are in our new fun drive, and we are raisingfunds for kpfk but not for Pacifica, which is controlled by an illegitimategroup of coup leaders who have denied the majority vote in the recentreferendum over governance and bylaws. The yes vote was 6640, and the no votewas 5216. And ever since that vote, this illegitimate regime has been rushingthrough all kinds of efforts to have newborn elections in the head of the nocampaign, the Interim Executive Director of Pacifica who claims to be volunteerjust warded itself a generous salary, and appointed a new new General Managerfor kpfk from the Spanish language collective. And meanwhile, while givingherself a generous salary, she is doing her best in terms of union busting withsag AFTRA, after kpfk, has already reduced its staff by 30%. And now, in theirzeal to cut severance so that they can fire people. And because I'm on the topof the list, along with Roy of Hollywood and others, Royal Hollywood came upwith a solution to have recurring donations from monthly sustainers. So at thepoint where it is clear that this illegitimate regime has not been removed, youcan stop your payments. In the event that ROI of Hollywood and myself andothers have been fired, which of course, is the intention of the legitimatehead of Pacifica. So the station's is in desperate need of funds to keep going.And the number to call is 8189855735818985 kB fk, and we have to fight toremove the illegal grip of this illegitimate regime who are ignoring Pacific ademocracy the very issue they ran on Pacific democracy, and then they turnaround and deny the results of a democratic election.





******** ******



filename: kpfk_210722_170000bbriefing.mp3



And before we begin, we are in a another fund drive. And weare trying to raise funds for kpfk not for Pacifica, which is controlled by anillegitimate clique who have ignored the results of the recent bylaws electionsto reform governance, which has crippled Pacific and taken it to the brink ofbankruptcy, and the loss of most of its audience. And we, of course, are tryinghere to raise funds around this illegitimate regime who hopefully will be removedby the majority, the 6640, who voted for reforms as opposed to the 5206, whovoted for the status quo, clear victory, which is being completely ignored.Just like Trump is pretending he won an election he's lost. It is so despicableto think that the Pacific are a sunk to the level of Donald Trump. But thoseare the facts. And here we are trying to work around this illegitimate regimein order to keep this station going, and to stop the firing of more people andthe cutting of all of the benefits which, of course is being done by an InterimExecutive director who appointed herself to that role, and has just awardedherself a generous salary. 818-985-5735 is the number to call 818985 kpfk. Andwe have this fantastic premium that's coming up later in the program.





AGAIN, SAME FILE, PRESUMABLY IN THE SAME BROADCAST



So stay tuned and stay with us here as we try to raise fundshere to keep kpfk going in spite of the completely illegitimate regime thatruns Pacifica and that ran a campaign to defend the status quo of thisdysfunctional government system that's brought Pacifica to the brink ofbankruptcy over the last couple of decades, while we've lost most of ouraudience, and they ran a campaign based on Pacifica democracy. That was theirtheir campaign slogan. And of course, they lost substantially clearly in theset 6640 voted against them as to 5216 voting for them. But now they'rebehaving like Donald Trump and ignoring the election results and claiming thatthey want and if they cannot be removed by legal means, they also should beremoved by listeners, particularly the 6640 members of Pacifica, they shouldwrite to the charities division of the California State Attorney General anddemand that the hijacking of Pacifica be overturned and the network andfoundation a California foundation is returned to its rightful owners you thePacific and listeners who voted clearly and substantially to change the bylawsto change the governance. And that is being so cynically and brazenly ignoredas these is surpise, push ahead with all kinds of efforts to bring about newboard elections and appointing a new General Manager here at kpfk. And ofcourse, as I mentioned earlier, the Interim Executive Director of Pacifica whogave herself the job after she'd fired to at least two really professional,qualified managers is now of course, awarding yourself a general salary. Sothis is what's happening here at Pacifica, and somehow, rather, we have tosupport kpfk. And the best way to do it is to donate on a recurring monthlybasis, where you give a monthly donation in the event that they use surpisesucceed in firing me and Roy and others that they want to get rid of, then youcan pull your donations and of course in the event that this illegitimateregime is not removed, and Roy and I and others are fired, you can stop yourdonations. 8189855735818985 kpfk.





******** ******





On Fri, Jul 23, 2021 at 4:50 PM JM wrote:

[Please do not forward this memo to anyone except bonified Pacifica members on the NO side of the New Day Pacifica referendum]

Subject: PRIVATE MEMO TO THE NO SIDE (AGAINST NEW DAY) - Fw: here are Background Briefing transcripts 7/15 - 7/22

To all of those on the NO side (against New Day and it's previous incarnations),

Regretably, my computer currently won't open pdf files. These are rough uncorrected automated transcripts Bruce Greif processed using the station's archived audio files of Ian Masters' Background Briefing programs aired July 15 - July 22 on each date he made editorial statements about Pacifica and the New Day referendum this week (not counting this Sunday's show at 11 AM Pacific time). Obviously the editorial portions need to be obtained and corrected for a text record.

More important than these, however, is we need all the audio clips of each editorial statement edited from his shows posted to KPFK's audio archives & accurately identified as to what date, order of each statement per show, etc. I'm sorry but I currently don't have the facilities or expertise to produce these clips.

All of the NO side Directors and LSB Members in the other signal areas must finally cognate
the source of this incomparable level of ignorance of the majority of "progressives" in Los Angeles whose political perceptions hang on every word of Ian Masters' programming, compared to the listener members in the other four signal areas. This will ONLY happen if they tie their bodies to their computers and listen to these editorials. It won't be enough for them to read the transcripts.

Nevertheless, I've no doubt that only after the NO side PNB Directors and LSB Members in all five signals hear for themselves (by Sunday morning!) the true character and power of what the entire network is facing from Los Angeles (the operational core of New Day Pacifica's highjacking) will the board members on the NO side realize they must take necessary action through the ED.

This action must include essentially 'ordering' the ED to promptly mandate (under threat of immediate removal of KPFK's iGM) equal on-air time (to the second) originally 'allocated' to rebut and refute both Ian's and Mansoor Sabagh's (Roy Tuckman - Something's Happening) editorials against the NO side by preempting Ian's and Roy's programs in the same time slots for those time periods in order to reach those listeners specifically. It won't be enough to schedule these rebuttals in other time slots. The overwhelming YES vote on New Day's referendum in LA was due to Ian Masters predominantly with Roy's listeners second.

I also believe it's essential after the initial on-air rebuttals, we also risk opening up the station phone lines for listener call-ins in uncensored forums about the New Day referendum. This will be and IS necessary in order to categorically and effectively 'deprogram' the hordes of KPFK's Ian Master's devotees of their gross misperceptions regarding the elected LSB governance model.

As far as the 'legal' aspects of any of what I'm suggesting, it is my opinion that without implementing the above (ALONG WITH MANDATING THE SAME SATURATION OF ON-AIR LSB CANDIDATE FORUMS AND CALL-INS), there is no way we will have a chance at preventing a huge majority of YES New Day board members being elected. What this means is Moe will need to be replaced with a different interium GM until the newly hired GM takes control on Aug 15 to order the above equal time during prime time.

PS: Note the timing marks below of Ian Masters and Mansoor Sabagh's July 21 editorials broadcast on KPFK - Download (or Play) those audio files and scroll to the timing marks to hear the editorials against the NO side.

Jonathan Markowitz
KPFK Listener-Members and co-drafter of Pacifica's elected station board bylaws structure.

----------------------------

IAN MASTERS (Background Briefing) & MANSOOR SABAGH (Something's Happening with Roy Tuckman) on-air editorials against the NO side - broadcast on KPFK

Timing marks of Ian Masters editorials against the NO side - broadcast on KPFK:

https://www.kpfk.org/archives/
Ian Masters Background Briefing Weds, July 21, 2021, 5 PM

Editorial #1 - 2:38 time mark
Editorial #2 - 26:21 time mark
Editorial #3 - 40:37 time mark
Editorial #4 - 54:19 time mark

Timing marks of Mansoor Sabagh's (on behalf of Roy Tuckman/Something's Happening) editorials against the NO side - broadcast on KPFK:

https://www.kpfk.org/archives/
Something's Happening - A
Thursday, July 22, 2021 12:00 am 3:00:30

Something's Happening - B
Thursday, July 22, 2021 3:00 am 3:00:29

As a result of these open attacks on the Pacifica National Board and many others who Ian Masters disagree with the new manager of KPFK has acted to call a halt to this wrecking campaign by Ian Masters. Let's us see where the KPFK staff union stands on his efforts to wreck KPFK and Pacifica.


On Aug 3, 2021, at 12:24 PM, Moe Thomas wrote:
Ian;

As you know, I announced a “no dirty laundry” rule for all on-air programmers early on in my tenure, and I’ve reiterated this rule several times.

Your past comments are well documented (see below), as taken from KPFK air histories. These are in no way fair comment. You’re fully entitled to your opinion, but not on the air with respect to this station’s management and that of Pacifica. Particularly in regard to the referendum vote results as well as the management of Pacifica and this station, your well-documented on-air criticisms are unquestionably injurious to the entire operation and its stated mission. They do nothing to inform, edify, enlighten, or raise the consciousness of our audience with respect to our mission.

Whether your opinions may be or may not be true is irrelevant. Voicing them on our air clearly is the airing of our problems without redemption and is intolerable. What’s worse is your insinuation that the audience should withhold or remove their contributions to the station because of your opinions. That is intolerable and I must act now.

Therefore, consider this FINAL NOTICE. If I should hear any such reference on air with respect to the referendum vote results, or derogatory comments about the station or its management, including but not limited to Pacifica management, or reference to any other Pacifica station, I will have no choice but to suspend you immediately, promptly, and forthwith. That means that if any similar such comments are made at any time, I will instruct the board operator to immediately delete your broadcast and substitute another. To be clear, this applies equally to all other programmers similarly situated. It is not debatable.

I have notified your Shop Steward and by extension, your union.

This is your last and final warning. I will not hesitate to act appropriately.

-00-

Maurice “Moe” Thomas III

iGM KPFK
by Ian Zalewski
Was Alan Minsky "in charge" of programming during a 60% drop in listenership over a decade? We're fund drive administrators Terry Guy & his exGF Sue Cohen Johnson both threatened with eviction for hoarding in 2016? Terry can't organize his horror doll collection let alone his subscription desk to get a better contract. Tony Bates was fired from WBAI how many times before he became another of Maggie LePiques drinking buddy "producers" ? ( twice ). Did Teddy Robinson change his name from Theodoorknob Williams because of a drug charge in Ohio? Are Kat Griffin, Teddy and Terry now BOTH involved in helping to hide a fugitive heroin dealer through their knowing Poetry Cafe contributer Marlena Bond, ( the heroin dealer being Myriah Tobin Burkhart of Todd Street in Eugene, Oregon ) ??? With exception of Mark Maxwell, KPFK needs to be completely restaffed. Pledge to KPFK only after seeing Terry's million dollar desk to see where you money goes.
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