Ani Haines and the Facebook KBOO page

McRae Freeman reviewed KBOO Community Radio.
24 April at 11:09 ·

Is it true that the station manager and the board are union busting?
KBOO Community Radio
KBOO shall be a model of programming, filling needs that other media do not, providing programming to unserved or underserved groups. KBOO shall provide access and training to those communities. KBOO news and public affairs programming shall place an emphasis on providing a forum for unpopular, con...
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10 people like this.
Deb Reitenour Sure seems like it...
24 April at 11:22 via mobile · Like · 1
Jessie Sponberg that would not be swell.
24 April at 11:27 · Like · 1
Micaiah Dutt Unionized Workers + Community Radio = Swellness
28 April at 13:18 · Like · 5
Kurt Lauer LOL! No, it's not true but some people will believe anything.
15 May at 13:53 · Like · 1
McRae Freeman Ah, yeah. The nebulous and unverifiable "some people". God bless you, Kurt.
15 May at 13:55 via mobile · Like
Jessie Sponberg i received a pretty detailed flyer which said otherwise.
15 May at 13:57 · Like
Deb Reitenour Gosh you mean I cant trust union busters?
15 May at 13:58 via mobile · Like · 4
Chris Jwj Kurt Lauer what about hiring "union avoidance" Bullard Law?
www.change.org/...
22 May at 22:24 · Like
Jessie Sponberg I keep getting conflicting stories.
22 May at 22:35 via mobile · Like
Chris Jwj Conflicting how, Jessie?
22 May at 22:36 · Like
Chris Jwj No one seems to be denying that KBOO has hired Bullard.
22 May at 22:37 · Like · 2
Chris Jwj And lookie here:
www.bullardlaw.com/practices/labor/
Union Avoidance...See More
22 May at 22:39 · Like · 1
Jessie Sponberg I spoke to KBOO Joe the other day and he said everything was fine now, then I saw Lisa Loving say it wasn't. Kurt says its all good, then you present opposing info. It should be a simple yes or no. Did they or did they not bring in union busters?
22 May at 22:46 via mobile · Like
Chris Jwj What do they mean "fine", "all good"? I had a board member confirm that they are still using Bullard, and no one has said that they aren't. Kent Filmore on this page seems to confirm it as well: "The union has labor lawyers so the KBOO foundation hired some employer lawyers because they are employers; the foundation has to negotiate and sign a contract with the union, a For Profit Corporation. What's the big whoop? Don't you think KBOO should get legal advice?"
Sure get legal advice, but why from a notorious anti-union law firm?
22 May at 22:49 · Like
McRae Freeman kboo.fm/SpecialProgrammingOther

Here's Lynn Fitch discussing all of this. Including talking about how the station is being represented by Bullard law.
Special Programming: Other | KBOO Community Radio
kboo.fm
They will contine the discussion began Sunday May 19th on Lynn's history in comm...See more
22 May at 23:03 via mobile · Like
Curtis Sims Shouldn't the focus be on is KBOO providing a fair workplace and benefit to its employees. The right to collective bargaining should be treated as a last resort and not idolized or demonized.
22 May at 23:33 via mobile · Like
Chris Lowe The staff came to the point of unionization as a last resort, because Lynn Fitch was pushing a huge expansion of management prerogatives that included converting all employees to "at will," and at least discussions of firing them all and making them apply for their jobs back. This was combined, per reports from the Board itself at a community meeting May 4, with getting the Board to step back from more direct governance, thus expanding the station manager ("navigator")'s power in that direction as well. The combination would amount to a huge change in the station.

The staff organized (about 80% of them) and joined CWA and submitted cards requesting recognition of the union for collective bargaining, or an NLRB election. It looked like station management was going to go the latter route and employ the union-busters at Bullard for that purpose (having previously used them to come up with the managerial prerogative agenda). Word started to get out about what had been happening and that it looked like management might be heading toward a union-busting confrontation. Pushback started from listeners and many volunteers. Fortunately Lynn Fitch listened and understood that if she pushed such a confrontation it would be destructive, and agreed to recognize the union on a card-check basis.

So Jessie, I think that's the positive side that you've heard.
23 May at 01:00 · Like
Chris Lowe However, at the community meeting on May 4, it also seemed to many people that matters probably had not been fully resolved. Ms. Fitch laid out a vision for the station, parts of which I thought personally were quite good, in terms of trying to expand outreach. But other parts really seemed to look to abandoning what have been the station's historical strengths and converting it from a member-driven organization in which a large core of active members and also listener members feel a strong sense of collective "ownership" that volunteers, staff and managers have more or less respected, to a more "typical" kind of non-profit in which "membership" is nominal and mainly about donations. Also, she said a number of things indicating willingness or even inclination to follow the letter of the law rather than the spirit of KBOO community, for instance one person raised an issue about "underwriting" spots being essentially ads. Ms. Fitch replied that everything they did was legally underwriting rather than advertising, but that completely missed the point being raised, which was exactly that the legal definition of underwriting has expanded so much that it is really advertising (as we see on OPB).

That attitude is troubling when it comes to labor law, which has become incredibly skewed against workers in recent decades. It is for that reason that continued use of Bullard is especially troubling. Bullard was used by the group that does fundraising for the PIRGs to drag out and delay first contract negotiations (also with CWA workers) while pursuing an agenda of firing union members and activists -- a core demand on management side being "at will" employment, which is unheard of in union workplaces. KBOO workers are now entering into first contract negotiations, and if KBOO follows Bullard's approach, they will end up not really bargaining in good faith but trying to bust the union through failed first contracts (a very common pattern in the U.S. now). That would go against the will of the member and volunteer community as it was manifested at the May 4 meeting, and again threaten to tear the station apart.

So that is where the worry you've heard comes from, Mac.

The fact that Lynn Fitch changed course in response to community concerns once is possibly hopeful sign. I don't want to demonize her. Perhaps with continued suasion she can be convinced to ratify that change of direction in bargaining. Getting rid of the union busters Bullard would be a strong show that the change in direction was real and not tactical.
23 May at 01:11 · Like
Curtis Sims Wow, incredibly insightful. Thanks Chris!
23 May at 10:06 via mobile · Like · 1
Ani Raven Haines For anyone that has not heard-- that station manager resigned in September. The board election amazed me, and those loudly taking on the struggle to keep KBOO all grass-rootsy won by a very wide margin. They've now hired an interim station manager who's well known and beloved at the station (she's pulled us together a couple of times in the past, and has been involved with KBOO for more than 30 years).

So, we have challenges, but we are solid in our grass-roots, community based philosophy, and we have just ratified our first contract as a union shop.

Onwards!
10 October at 05:03 · Like · 5
Deb Reitenour Wow congrats!
10 October at 09:16 via mobile · Like · 1