From our Bureau of Sacrificial Cows with some assistance from our Bureau of Leftist Tolerance and Social Justice
The Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB) is a news agency funded by the federal government, and it is in charge of the radio, television, and online reporting of Marti Noticias. Its chief function is to provide the people of Cuba with news that Castro, Inc’s Ministry of Truth hides from them.
In other words, OCB provides Cubans on the island with REAL news.
Ever since it began broadcasting in 1985, during the Reagan era, Castro, Inc. has been denouncing its existence and lobbying for its extinction. As one would expect, leftists in the U.S. hate it too, and have launched campaigns against it.
Well, after three decades of protesting, Castro, Inc. and American leftists have finally won a significant battle against OCB. Heeding their complaints, Jar-Jar Biden has launched an offensive against it, slashing their budget, forcing OCB to fire many employees and curtail its broadcasting.
Fortunately the labor union that represents government employees has entered the fray. Let’s hope its intervention on behalf of OCB employees gains traction in Congress. But don’t get your hopes up. After all, OCB represents “those people”, and everyone knows that anything dear to them is not only disposable, but reprehensive, solely because it represents their values.
From the AFGE website
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is asking Congress to intervene in the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB)’s plan to lay off employees, including union stewards. Thirteen employees were already laid off in February.
The Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB) operates Radio and Television Martí, which transmits objective news and information to the people of Cuba, the country where privately owned press is prohibited, and the media is closely monitored by the government.
The budget for the OCB, however, has been severely cut from nearly $29 million in FY2017 to $13 million in FY2023. Among those who have been laid off or are about to be laid off are numerous members and officials of AFGE Local 1812, which represents the US Agency on Global Media (USGAM). Two union officials are slated to be laid off next month.
Meanwhile, the office has retained supervisors who no longer have any workers to supervise. The USAGM is also spending money to fill highly paid positions in its CEO office, while refusing to transfer funds to minimize layoffs at OCB. The hiring of a senior advisor to the CEO for OCB was disturbing to employees as more senior management was added but rank and file employees were cut.
“The critical mission of broadcasting information and hope to the Cuban people is suffering,” said AFGE Director of Legislation Julie Tippens in a letter to House and Senate appropriators. “Budget cuts have forced broadcasts to be halved and diminished the ability to create new content.”
President Biden requested $15 million for the office in his 2024 budget, but AFGE’s asking that the OCB be funded at the fiscal 2017 level, which adjusted for inflation would be $35.75 million.
AFGE is also asking Congress to require that the USAGM and OCB prioritize funding to avoid layoffs and to encourage USAGM to use its fiscal 2023 transfer authority to minimize layoffs and help bridge the gap to fiscal 2024.