As you are aware and now want to deny, in the recent negotiations you failed to respond truthfully to the Union's questions regarding the costs of the benefit plan.  Had your team told us that the current level of benefits exceeded the 10.9% of base pay the Union would have immediately proposed a higher number than the 10.9%  in the contract.  We relied on "good faith" and accepted the information you gave us across the bargaining table as the truth.  You now want to claim that  the actual rate of benefits at the time we asked was in fact higher than the 10.9  percent.  This deceit will not stand and is a direct violation of the stated KQED Operating Principal #2 "Be open, honest and direct".     

As for asking for the Union's suggestions on  ways to find cost savings – your email below carefully says  we "were unwilling to come up with alternative cost savings measures within the contract.”  Again you are being deceitful.  As you know the Union has suggested as a means of savings  $200,000 NCPB could do one of two things. (1) Retire the overextended debt of 10 Million dollars to purchase KTEH over a more reasonable and fiscally sound period of 8 to 10 years instead of the overly aggressive 3 years management has chosen, thereby adding well over $200,000 to the bottom line to NCPB each and every year.   And /or (2):  our other suggestion that would save $257,504  plus bonuses, each and every year was to not fill the position of  Chief Content  Officer -- management  had felt  that position was so important, it went vacant for more than two years !  The $257,504 annual salary, not to mention the bonuses and the 4% wage increase you have budgeted for this position each and every year would more than cover the savings you are seeking. Together by making these two sound decisions  NCPB would save over $465,000 a year instead of taking it out of the pockets of hard working union members. 

Kevin Wilson