Resolution on title of Pacifica's New Volunteer Handbook

We strongly urge that the handbook with the draft name “Pacifica Volunteer Handbook” be renamed “Pacifica Unpaid Staff and Volunteer Handbook.” Unpaid Staff are those involved in actual radio production work but not paid for it.  Unpaid staff are eligible to vote in Local Station Board elections; volunteers are not.  The word “volunteer” has been consistently used to denigrate our work.

Passed unanimously 7-9-13 

Notes: Unpaid Staff Organization (UPSO) membership meeting minutes, 07.09.2013

Present: Shahram Aghamir, Lisa Dettmer, Ruthanne Shpiner, Jae Michael, Adrienne Lauby (by phone), Frank Sterling, Carla West, and Emmit Powell. (Carla West and Emmit Powell were able to stay only briefly.)

This quarterly meeting was held to initiate a discussion of the rights and responsibilities of the Unpaid Staff.

As a way of starting we had a call-in Q & A with Bruce Wolf, a WPFW Local Station Board rep and member of the Pacifica National Board associated, who worked on the PNB committee that drafted the new Pacifica Employee Handbook and Pacifica Volunteer Handbook.

The main takeaways from the conversation with Bruce were that: 1) The Handbook was drafted by the PNB’s Financial Audit Recovery Committee in the interest of defining explicit Pacifica policy regarding unpaid staff, andthat it has not yet been finalized.  2) The committee is still accepting feedback, although a formal deadline has passed.

As the UPSO, we unanimously passed these two resolutions to request revisions, which have been forwarded to the PNB:

1)We strongly urge that the handbook with the draft name “Pacifica Volunteer Handbook” be renamed “Pacifica Unpaid Staff and Volunteer Handbook.” Unpaid Staff are those involved in actual radio production work
but not paid for it.  Unpaid staff are eligible to vote in Local Station Board elections; volunteers are not.  The word “volunteer” has been consistently used to denigrate our work.

2) We would like this paragraph added to the section of the Handbook titled “Policy on Harrassment”: No one with authority over air time or employment should circulate a petition, seek a Local Station Board endorsement, or otherwise urge action on internal Pacifica/station issues from staff whom they exercise that authority over. This is intended to decrease the potential for retaliation for disagreement about internal politics.

(END OF RESOLUTIONS PASSED.)

Those present also unanimously agreed that language regarding reimbursement for training and travel costs should be stronger, and that production costs should be added to the list of reimbursable expenses.  Adrienne Lauby said that this reimbursement provision in the handbook was not likely to be very strong unless and until the UPSO negotiates a contract with management that includes reimbursement for such expenses and the LSB makes a budget allocation for it.

Shahram Aghamir asked whether the language in the draft of the (paid) employee handbook is similar to that in the unpaid staff handbook, and Bruce Wolf said that much of it is.  The still unfinalized versions of both the paid and unpaid staff handbooks are on the staff page of the KPFA website:  http://www.kpfa.org/staff.

There was appreciation for those who worked to draft this handbook and discussion about other specific areas covered by the handbook. Those included rules regarding blogging & other internet activities and the conflict of interest section.

Anyone who goes over the Handbook and wants to submit further suggestions should send them to Bruce Wolf, haunteddog@aol.com and cc’ UPSO Councilors Ann Garrison and Adrienne Lauby, who initiated this process. We will keep a record of all suggestions forwarded by UPSO members.  Possible revisions will go to the Pacifica National Board (PNB) Committee working on the handbooks.

At our next month’s conference call meeting we will vote on whether we want to add the KPFA UPSO’s name to any revisions suggested by individual UPSO members. Revisions can also be proposed for the first time at that meeting.

We all thanked Bruce for staying up late on the East Coast, three hours ahead of us, to talk about this.

Notes by Ann Garrison 

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

Resolution: Staff Meetings - LSB listener-representatives presence (Tabled)

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.

Proposed by Adrienne

Resolution tabled.  (5-14-13)

Resolution: Welcome to Richard Pirodsky (failed)

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. 

Resolution proposed by Adrienne

 

Tim -  No

David (by prior e-mail) - No

Shahram  - Abstain

Ann - Yes

Adrienne - Yes 

Resolution fails.

Resolution: Staff Meetings - Regular, Evening

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.

Proposed by Adrienne

Passed unanimously (5-14-13)

Resolution: KPFA Investigation

The Unpaid Staff Organization elected council members understand that an investigation by an outside agency will begin soon at KPFA.  We expect to cooperate fully.

Proposed by Adrienne

Passed Unanimously 5-14-13