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Labor war erupts at WBAI radio station

DC 37 and other labor unions have protested the Pacifica Foundation’s takeover of WBAI, the politically progressive radio station in New York City.

Specifically, unions have condemned Pacifica for firing a union steward without cause or due process, as well as the foundation’s ban of four members from the station’s building and installation of a new management team without consulting the staff and WBAI 99.5 FM membership.

DC 37 and Local 1930 joined the Professional Staff Congress, the UAW Region 9A Community Action Program, and other unions to endorse the statement.

“WBAI, founded as a bastion of free speech, has become a symbol of censorship and the worst kind of bad management,” said DC 37 Administrator Lee Saunders. “We deplore the Pacifica Foundation’s heavy-handed treatment of its workers and its lack of respect for collective bargaining.”