Notes: Unpaid Staff Council Meeting, 5-14-13

Unpaid Staff Council Meeting

May 14, 2013

by teleconference

Attending:  Shahram Aghamir, Tim Lynch, Adrienne Lauby, Ann Garrison, Ruthanne Shpiner

Agenda
1.  Welcome to Richard Pirodsky

2.  Statement of cooperation with investigators

3.  Community Building Workshops

4.  Clarification on staff meeting policy

5.  Grievance process report (confidential item?)

1)  Resolution (proposed by Adrienne): The Unpaid Staff Organization elected council members welcome Richard Pirodsky to his position as interim general manager of KPFA.  We look forward to working with him on matters pertaining to the unpaid staff. 

Tim is opposed because our constituents made it clear that they supported the prior manager and didn’t want a change.  This is another attempt to run KPFA from the Pacifica Offices without consulting the LSB or the Staff.

Ann and Adrienne think that managing KPFA is tough and we should offer a kind word.

Shahram does not think that Richard needs this kind of support and would be more comfortable with this resolution coming in a membership meeting. 

Tim -  No

David (by prior e-mail) - No

Shahram  - Abstain

Ann - Yes

Adrienne - Yes

Resolution fails.

2)  Resolution (Proposed by Adrienne):  The Unpaid Staff Organization elected council members understand that an investigation by an outside agency will begin soon at KPFA and we expect to cooperate fully.

Passed Unanimously

3.  Community Building Workshops.  Community Bridge-Building Workshops  at KPFA for KPFA.  Facilitated by Alternatives to Violence
Wed. May 29th 6:30 – 9:00pm
Sat. June 1st 3:00 – 5:30 pm
Co-sponsored by the Unpaid Staff organization (UPSO) Communication Workers of America (CWA) and KPFA management.  This is a rare opportunity to talk to each other with help from neutral facilitators.  With the support of UPSO, CWA and KPFA management these workshops should be powerful.  Please consider coming and invite others. The workshops are open to the public.  KPFA staff and community are especially urged to attend. 

4a.  Staff Meetings
Adrienne Proposed a resolution about staff meetings which was broken into two resolutions.  The discussion:

Tim:  What is the issue in having LSB members come sporadically?  What is the strong feeling that gives rise to this paragraph of the resolution.

Shahram:  Sometimes the staff meetings should be just staff and managers.  The demarcation lines shouldn’t be blurred.  If people are uncomfortable with LSB members in the room, their objection should be honored.

Ann:  Has been uncomfortable with board members who seem to simply show up at staff meetings.  Board members would understand the station better if they came to the staff meetings.  There hasn’t been an outcry against LSB members at the meetings but she, herself, has objected and so has at least one other staff person.

Shahram: Is there a way to know in the meeting whether or not the LSB members have all been invited.

Adrienne:  There are usually staff representatives at the meeting who can tell us.  

Shahram:  How practical is it for us to ask someone to leave?

4b)  We affirm our February 13, 2012 resolution calling on KPFA managers to hold regular all-staff meetings on, at least, a bi-monthly schedule.

Additionally, we note KPFA's long-standing tradition of two meetings, with one in the morning to accommodate those who work in the building during the business hours and one in the evening to accommodate those who work elsewhere.  We call for both afternoon and evening meetings whenever there is an all-staff meeting.

Passed unanimously

4c)  We call for a meeting policy that staff meetings are primarily for paid/unpaid staff and managers at KPFA.  When listener-representatives of the local station board (LSB) are invited, the invitation should also be extended to all listener LSB representatives.

Discussion:  Ann and Adrienne think this is important and want to pass it.

Tim -  Suggests talking to paid staff about it to get more input.

Shahram – dropped off the call.

Resolution tabled.

5.  Grievance process report.  This item was tabled because Shahram had dropped off the call.  Adrienne will communicate with Shahram to ask him for a time when we could have a short meeting (30 min?) to get this report.

Meeting adjourned shortly after 8 pm

Notes by Adrienne