MEMORANDUM TO:   Valerie Van Isler, General Manager WBAI

FROM:   R. Paul Martin

DATE:   March 5, 1997

RE:   Union's position on the state of current Contract negotiations

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As per your request we are giving you this memo to reiterate our position as stated at our meeting of February 26, 1997.

It is our belief that Management has been refusing to bargain in good faith for some months now. This state of affairs was brought to a head by the letter which Management handed to the Shop Committee at our meeting of February 18, 1997, in which Management stated that it was going to ignore the NLRB ruling regarding Unpaid Staff and the Business Director and asking the Shop Committee to illegally abandon part of the Collective Bargaining Unit by agreeing to a Contract that would include Paid Staff only.

At our meeting of February 26, 1997, UE Rep. Chris Costello informed Management that the Union had added that February 18, letter to its previously filed Unfair Labor Practice charges against WBAI Management. Ms. Costello then informed Management that we would only bargain for the entire Collective Bargaining Unit, and that it would be illegal for the Union to do otherwise. She continued that, in light of Management's refusal to bargain in good faith, the Union saw no sense in continuing to hold Contract negotiation meetings. She further said that the Union would be glad to resume having meetings with Management when Management was ready to negotiate a Contract for the entire Collective Bargaining Unit.

Management's letter also said that the Paid Staff, “... are being deprived of the increased wages and increased benefits package ....” As Ms. Costello said to you on February 26, Management is free to increase the wages of the Paid Staff by your proposed 3% immediately. The Union would not object to a unilateral pay raise, even though the Union proposes a higher raise, and the Union, having proposed the increased medical and dental benefits package, would not object to their immediate implementation. Management may grant these raises and then continue negotiations on these and all other outstanding Contract issues when it decides to return to the bargaining table.

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cc:   Errol Maitland, Brother Shine, Tom Whelan, Sybil Wong, Daa'iya Lomax, Chris Costello (U.E. Rep.), Bruce Klipple (U.E.Rep.), Charles Potter (WBAI Local Board), Bill Henning(WBAI Local Board)