I am not sure what the union expects USFK to do; keep jobs that aren’t needed?:
A Korean employee at the main gate of Camp Red Cloud, a U.S. military base in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi Province, stages a one-man protest, Sunday, demanding job security for all Korean workers there after the base is relocated to Pyeongtaek. / Yonhap
Thousands of Korean employees at two U.S. military bases in Korea are facing massive layoffs because of the planned relocation of the camps.
Under a plan signed between Korea and the U.S., the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) headquarters and 8th Army headquarters, located in Yongsan Garrison in central Seoul and the 2nd Infantry Division (2ID), north of Seoul, will be moved to Camp Humphreys, a U.S. Army garrison in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province.
About 5,000 Koreans are working at the military bases.
There is a growing fear that at least half of the jobs of Korean employees might be on the line, but there has been no explanation from the U.S. military regarding its plans to cut jobs or reassign personnel, arousing anxiety among the workers, the USFK Korean Employees Union said Sunday.
On Thursday, the labor union began a one-person protest at Camp Red Cloud in Uijeongbu, scheduled to last for nine days, and will hold a rally against the layoffs at the War Memorial of Korea in Yongsan on May 21.
“We will fight to protect our jobs,” a labor union official said. [Korea Times]
Those numbers cited in the article are pure BS. The impact will be nowhere near that great. Most KNs willing to move to Pyeongteak will have a job.
guitard
8 years ago
Three signs have recently popped up outside of the Ichon Station gate of Yongsan base (I still call it Gate 17 – I can’t remember what the new number for it is). I’m not sure who Bryan Byrd is – I assume he manages Community Bank at Yongsan (although I don’t ever remember seeing any non-Korean employees working there). They are literally singling him out as a bad guy in all of this.
The sign that makes reference to Bryan Byrd says:
방위비 분담금으로 수천억의 이자수익을 유용하고 주한미군 명예를 실추시킨 Community Bank, Bryan Byrd를 주한미군에서 추방하라!
한국노총 외기노련 전국주한미군한국인노동조합
Here’s a down and dirty translation of the Korean text on the sign:
“We contribute hundreds of billions (of won) to defense cost sharing; he brings dishonor to USFK – expel Bryan Byrd of Community Bank from USFK!”
Federation of Korean Trade Unions Foreign Division USFK Korean Employees Union
mtbrider
8 years ago
I’m thinking someone didn’t get their Free Toaster when they opened an account, and still hold a grudge.
Do these protesters just find random names to pin the blame on? Or is Bryan Byrd kind of a big deal?
guitard
8 years ago
@MTB Rider: These signs aren’t out there for the account holders – it’s for the USFK Korean Employees Union members who are employees at the bank (and who are eventually going to lose their jobs when Yongsan closes). Presumably, the bank has begun informing Korean employees that the jobs are going to go away eventually. Based on what the other signs say, the bank might also have begun employing people in temp or part-time status.
I sympathize with long time, dedicated employees losing their jobs for no fault of their own … but when a base closes and the bank closes with it … how could anyone working there think they are getting screwed by the bank for not keeping them employed?
Those numbers cited in the article are pure BS. The impact will be nowhere near that great. Most KNs willing to move to Pyeongteak will have a job.
Three signs have recently popped up outside of the Ichon Station gate of Yongsan base (I still call it Gate 17 – I can’t remember what the new number for it is). I’m not sure who Bryan Byrd is – I assume he manages Community Bank at Yongsan (although I don’t ever remember seeing any non-Korean employees working there). They are literally singling him out as a bad guy in all of this.
The sign that makes reference to Bryan Byrd says:
방위비 분담금으로 수천억의 이자수익을 유용하고 주한미군 명예를 실추시킨 Community Bank, Bryan Byrd를 주한미군에서 추방하라!
한국노총 외기노련 전국주한미군한국인노동조합
Here’s a down and dirty translation of the Korean text on the sign:
“We contribute hundreds of billions (of won) to defense cost sharing; he brings dishonor to USFK – expel Bryan Byrd of Community Bank from USFK!”
Federation of Korean Trade Unions Foreign Division USFK Korean Employees Union
I’m thinking someone didn’t get their Free Toaster when they opened an account, and still hold a grudge.
Do these protesters just find random names to pin the blame on? Or is Bryan Byrd kind of a big deal?
@MTB Rider: These signs aren’t out there for the account holders – it’s for the USFK Korean Employees Union members who are employees at the bank (and who are eventually going to lose their jobs when Yongsan closes). Presumably, the bank has begun informing Korean employees that the jobs are going to go away eventually. Based on what the other signs say, the bank might also have begun employing people in temp or part-time status.
I sympathize with long time, dedicated employees losing their jobs for no fault of their own … but when a base closes and the bank closes with it … how could anyone working there think they are getting screwed by the bank for not keeping them employed?