CWAers, Listeners Fight Back as Berkeley Radio Station Slashes Union Jobs

CWA members and outraged listeners are fighting to save union jobs and restore a popular morning show at America's first listener-sponsored radio station, KPFA-FM in Berkeley, Calif.

This week, the station's parent company, Pacifica Foundation, fired three morning show hosts/producers, yanked the show off the air and is piping in programming from its Los Angeles station. Pacifica owns five radio stations across the country.

CWAers and supporters protest firings and job cuts at KPFA in Berkeley, Calif.

The hosts and about 35 other KPFA employees are represented by CWA Local 9415. First Executive Vice President Christina Huggins said voluntary leaves and partial layoffs combined with work-sharing arrangements previously kept job losses to a minimum, but last week Pacifica announced plans to lay off a full quarter of the staff with no negotiation.

That led Local 9415 to file unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board and drew hundreds more angry listeners and union supporters to a rally in front of the station. A second demonstration quickly formed after Pacifica killed the show, even though it is the most profitable program for station fundraising.

"We understand the fiscal situation and our members have bent over backwards to help the station save money, with some of them even leaving their jobs voluntarily," Huggins said. "What happened this week isn’t about economics, it's about political intentions."

Show your support for the embattled employees by sending a letter to Pacifica from the KPFA workers' website, www.KPFAworker.org.

You can also click HERE to access the form directly.