NOTES: UPSO Council Meeting, 11-11-14

Present: Adrienne Lauby, Shahram Aghamir, Tim Lynch, Ann Garrison.  Meeting began at 6:15 pm. by Conference Call.

We discussed these agenda items:

1. The UPSO election 

Want to run for the Unpaid Staff Organization Council?  Please think about stepping up in December.  We’d like to get all the names on the ballot by mid-January and have the election in mid-February. 

We decided we would like to try an electronic UPSO election to save both time and money.  Tim Lynch found this website where it can be done and the cost will be far less. http://electionbuddy.com/  This should be a lot easier on everyone.

However, our UPSO by-laws call for an election by paper ballot, so we will give everyone till the end of the month to object, before next month’s meeting.  We’re doing our best to be realistic about how much time and energy is available to get this done.

Shahram volunteered to try to get unpaid lists from Antonio and Laura.  Ann volunteered to study the electronic election site, but we need several more people to volunteer to be on the elections committee. 

Our tentative schedule is: Call for nominations, early December, mid-January.  Electronic voting period ends in first or second week of February.      

2.  The Unpaid Staff E-Group List(s?)

We revisited the possibility that the UPSO list could be divided in two.  One list for everyone.  This would simply be for meeting announcements, minutes, and any factual matters everyone should know.  It would be a one-way list.   Another list would be for those who would also like to discuss things with each other.  This list would allow any unpaid staff member to post.  For example, if the UPSO Council has passed a resolution, some might want to discuss it afterwards, others would not want their mailboxes cluttered with the discussion. 

Adrienne agreed to ask Antonio how difficult this would be and we agreed to revisit the issue next month.

3.  Music Director’s departure

Those of us who are public affairs producers, Adrienne, Shahram, and Ann, wanted to know how music producers will be affected by not having a Music Director.  Tim said that Program Director Laura Prives had scheduled a meeting with them to survey their needs next week.

We agreed to express our support for music producers contributions to the station, keep an eye on what happens with music next at KPFA, and encourage music producers to bring any issues they think we might help with to the Council.

4.  Interim Producer hire

KPFA is hiring an interim producer for Upfront and Letters and Politics.  We discussed the lack of UPSO input on KPFA hiring committees, which we have had at some points in the past.  (Shahram had gone by the time we discussed this.)  Ann and Adrienne said that the lack of inclusion and transparency in these temporary hires lead to more tension at the station.  They believe UPSO should be represented in both interim and permanent hiring processes. Tim said he didn’t know what the alternative was when staffing needs were urgent.

Meeting adjourned at 7:30 pm. Next month's agenda will revisit, for two items, elections, the two UPSO list possibility, and items that you, UPSO members, would like us to add to the agenda. 

Notes by Ann G.