Gregory Wonderwheel (repost)
WBAI recommendations approved!
Sat
Jan 12 16:07:59 2002
Leslie Cagan refers to the WBAI committee's
whirlwind [my word]
meetings by
phone Thursday night and today [Sat.] at lunch.
Yesterday a
packet was
distributed to the IPNB members. The committee
at lunch voted
on their
recommendations.
Anthony Mackall presented the recommendations. He
tried to present
an
introduction by presenting a recording of what
the WBAI "highjackers"
are
saying on the air. Produced by Dred Scott Keyes.
Leslie says we need
to move
on when the recordings aren't available.
Difficulties in getting
it going.
then started: voice saying the whole process
Cagan needs to be
questioned.
Issues of control of the network. Not many people
calling but
they are
centralized. Words like democracy and censorship
are being
thrown around
like the abortion rights people who will kill to
advance
their issues.
These are listeners. These are people hell bent
on "my way
or the highway."
Leslie says to Anthony to please get the 8 points
out.
[Reminder, these are my condensation, not
verbatim.]
1. Due to succession of actions violating long
standing Pacifica policy
and
refusal to broadcast DN! and defy IPNB directive
to do so, Robert
Daughtry
shall be immediately removed by the Executive
Director. [more I
didn't get
typed, but not too important.]
2. All employees paid and unpaid who were fired,
banned, and suspended
etc.
shall be reinstated. All persons will work with
the new station
management
for appropriate adjustments to schedules and
assignments.
Current people
will maintain positions held on 12/20/00. People
assigned
after 12/22/00
will be considered for alternative assignments,
etc.
3. All banning orders are hereby lifted against
[everyone from coming
into
the station. I hope I got this right.].
4. WBAI LAB board will work with executive
director to design and
implement
performance review procedure for Valerie Van
Isler. [Originally
included
statement that previous PNB had fired her in
violation of its
own policy.
This statement removed at suggestion of Fertig
who feared
such a finding by
the board without further review.]
5. For an interim period, station management will
seek pre-approval
for
hiring firing and other discipline actions and
union contracts.
6. Foundation will return to original policy of
Board
voluntarily
considering the voluntary staff as being under
NLRB rules and
union
recognition will be allowed and other voluntary
staff rights to
be
reinstated. Board agrees to enter good faith
negotiations with unpaid
staff
and until new contract is created will agree to
abide by terms of
old
contract.
7 WBAI LAB shall be immediately permitted to hold
meetings at the
station
and station staff will be cooperating.
8 Exec Dir. will work in cooperation with WBAI
committee, including
employee
issues. All committee decisions must be
consistent with law and
WBAI
committee shall seek legal advice as necessary.
Anthony continues: the basis for these
recommendations are in the
long
standing facts known by listeners and staff.
Discussion and motion by Janice to adopt the
package as a whole and not
in
parts.
Barry raises issue about time and place notice of
this
meeting.
[Unfortunately he doesn't know he has waived
objecting to
deficiencies in
notice by showing up so a director not in
attendance will
have to carry his
threatened motion to the court not to accept the
actions of this meeting.]
Spooner seconded and said we've had enough time
to know the facts.
Ferguson says he abstained in the committee on
the basis that he didn't
have
enough time to consider 8 issues in the
committee. Now he is still
against
adopting the package because he thinks each of
the points bodes
considerable
consequences. Vote to take as a package: Vote
seemed to be 9
to 4 to adopt
recommendation package as a whole.
Discussion about agreeing to abide by the terms
of last contract with
unpaid
staff. Question by Ferguson whether this means
the contract is
being
extended or what? Spooner says it means we are
agreeing to abide by
the
terms of the contract not to negotiate the
contract. Jabari says it
is their
principle to act as if it is binding, there is no
obligation to
continue to
do so as long as the Board are agreeing. Cagan
says even
without a contract
until there is one the terms of the agreement
will be
the same.
[Unfortunately they are beating around the bush
that there is
no agreement
because they are not in negotiation. They are
discussing
adopting a
unilateral position not a contract.]
Barry moves to strike the entire first
recommendation. Says he believes
it
violates the laws of Pacifica Foundation. He
looks to the bylaws. Says
there
is someplace in the bylaws that says it is the
duties of the Ex.
Director to
deal with station managers. He reads the point
that the Board
shouldn't
hire. Secondly he believes very strongly that in
a democratic
society the
station manger shouldn't be fired without
reasons. Fertig
argues against the
amendment saying that the Ex Dir. resigned at the
beginning of their meeting
so the Board has to act in their fiduciary
capacity. Barry argues about
admitting the 10 to 3 vote mistakenly
thinking
that it has to be a balanced
majority. He forgot the 2/3
majority over rules
the balanced majority.
Vote on the whole package is 10 to 3 in favor and
audience erupts
into
applause and cheering.
Ferguson says he asks what this means practically
in context of the
Board
being a "personnel office." Cagan says the Human
Resources director
Joyce
will consult with them about carrying out the
recommendations. They
will
work with the WBAI Committee in executive
session.
Janice K. Bryant raises concern of equipment
sabotage in response to
the
adoption of the recommendations. Cagen urges that
"nobody go to the
station"
so an orderly transition may be allowed when the
WBAI committee
and LAB and
Board members go to the station. [This seems
self-contradictory.]
Amy Goodman interviewed by Errol saying she won't
have to use the "in
exile"
any more. Says she always believed the power of
the listeners is
very
strong. When people believe in the rightness of
their cause they
can
succeed.