Nodutdol | News | October 2008

NEWS | October 2008

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Come to Kiryung Workers’ Rally on Wednesday October 29, 2008 at 5:00 pm

The Sirius Satellite Radio Factory Workers’ struggle continues…

Last thursday October 23, 2008, a Rat balloon of NYC union came to support Kiryung women workers who are demanding a meeting with the Sirius Satellite Radio Corporation. Now, we are hosting another rally, again requesting Sirius to meet with the women worker delegation. Come and show your supports:

At this rally, we will show a video clips of Kiryung-hired thugs attacking Kiryung workers and allies at the rally site early in the morning and the riot police protecting the goons, but the workers!

Where: Sirius Headquarter Office at 49th St. btwn Ave. of the Americas and 7th Ave. (in front of the McGraw Hill Building entrance)

When: Wednesday, October 29, 2008, at 5 pm
Why: In order to hold Sirius Accountable for long-hours of work, mandatory over-time, dismissal of workers who joined union, discriminatory sexist labor practice,
lower than low wages of the Kiryung workers. Also, to inform the public of physical violence that Kiryung workers are experiencing now.

OBAMA TO SUBMIT KOREAN FREE TRADE PACT FOR RATIFICATION IN 2009 (Yonhap News)

[Obama’s foreign policy toward north Korea may be just a bit better than McCain’s, however, his position on the free trade agreement is quite disappointing. He treats south Korea as if it is a developed country, with an equal bargaining power. Under the 2MB (quite humiliatingly kowtowing to the U.S.) Administration, we know what’s going to happen, right? - jc]

Monday October 27, 2008, 10:22 am

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 Asia Pulse - U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama will submit a free trade agreement (FTA) between South Korea and the U.S. for ratification early next year if he is elected on Nov. 4, his foreign policy adviser said Saturday.

The adviser, Frank Jannuzi, set several preconditions, however, including the “strengthening of the access of American automobile exports to Korea, taking steps to make sure workers who might lose their jobs will get job training and unemployment and health insurance, and solving the beef issue”.

South Korea and the U.S. signed the FTA in June last year, but the Bush administration has not yet brought it before Congress due to the political sensitivity of the election year.
Many fear the agreement will cost American workers jobs.

Seoul and Washington officials have expressed hopes that the trade deal, the biggest for the U.S. since the North American Free Trade Agreement in the early 1990s, will pass through the Democrat-controlled Congress during the lame duck session next month.

Unlike Republican rival John McCain, who is an ardent supporter of the FTA, Obama has been reluctant to back the agreement.

But analysts and officials here say that Democrats may become more flexible on the trade issue under Obama’s leadership in order to support a Democratic president.

“I will tell you honestly that Senator Obama opposes the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement as it is drafted because he felt it failed to address some key things that need to be addressed,” Jannuzi said in a speech to a gathering of Korean-Americans in Annandale, Virginia [this was the 6.15 National Committee Annual Meeting - jc].

The aide, however, said the Illinois senator’s opposition is “not forever,” adding Obama supports free trade and that “as president, he will do the things necessary to see its ratification is possible.”

Jannuzi singled out the beef issue, saying that it “has mostly been solved but we’ve got still a little bit more to do. But, if these issues are addressed, I am confident Senator Obama will submit the Korea-U.S. agreement successfully to Congress for its approval and I hope it will happen early next year.”

Seoul lifted a blanket import ban on U.S. beef in April this year, sparking massive street protests throughout South Korea over the safety of the meat.

The ban had first been imposed in December 2003 after a case of mad cow disease was detected in the U.S.

Obama, who recently described the Korea-U.S. FTA as “badly flawed,” said last week in the third and final presidential debate that ”when it comes to South Korea, we’ve got a trade agreement up right now - they are sending hundreds of thousands of South Korean cars into the United States - that’s all good, (but) we can only get 4,000 to 5,000 into South Korea.”

Monday, October 27, 2008

Kiryung Women Workers Continue to Struggle in New York City, October 27, 2008

Stay Tuned for more Action this week in front of the McGraw Hill Building at West 49th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. Check back here for more action updates.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Kiryung workers’ Samboilbae - rally in front of Sirius Headquarter - JOIN US Thurs/Fri October 23-24

They have come and they have proved themselves again - that south Korean workers can fight back! They are actually very humble and sweet people when you talk to them in person, and they are relentless and stubborn when they are in struggle. Admirable trait, isn’t it? I want to share some photos with you all about them.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Come Show Your Support for Kiryung Women Workers!

Come Show Your Support!
Where: Sirius Headquarter Office at 49th St. btwn Ave. of the Americas and 7th Ave. (in front of the McGraw Hill Building entrance)
When: Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Why: In order to hold Sirius Accountable for long-hours of work, discriminatory labor practice, lower than low wages of the Kiryung workers.

Press Conference and Sam Bo Il Bae* Protest
When: Tuesday, Oct. 21, 1-3:30 pm

Final Rally
When: Tuesday, Oct. 21, 5-6 pm

Saturday, October 18, 2008

The Heat during Friday Evening Rally in front of McGraw Hill Building

About 50 people gathered for a rally and candlelight vigil in front of the Sirius Headquarter (McGraw Hill Building on 49th Street between 6th & 7th Avenue),demanding a meeting from the Sirius XM Satellite Radio company and asking for its responsible action on mistreatment of workers and discriminatory labor practices of a South Korean satellite radio manufacturing line, Kiryung Electronics. The cold night didn’t deter all participants in standing firm to demand labor justice. The program included reading statements from the Kiryung south Korean women production workers on unjust and discriminatory practices, manipulations and physical violences from the Kiryung company, slideshows on thier 1,155 days of sit-in in front of the gate of the Kiryung Electronics, Korean traditional drumming from Hanool, New York based poongmul troops, songs from Joe of the Brown Rice Family, and on.
So far no response was heard from the Sirus.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Listen to WBAI Interview of a Kiryung Worker!

This is an image of the hired thugs of Kiryung Electronics which attacked Kiryung workers’ rally site on October 15, 2008.

A Kiryung Worker, Suk-Soon Oh, goes on air in New York at WBAI Wakeup Call

http://archive.wbai.org/

Today October 16, 2008, Thursday at 8:00am (precisely you can move your cursor to 27:07 to hear the beginning of their interview):

Haewon Chung, International Director of Korean Metal Workers’ Union is translating. Suk-soon, a package line worker, tells us about all inhumane, discriminatory practice of the Kiryung Electronics. Kiryung has stated that their discriminatory practice has been demanded by Sirius Satellite Radio and the workers came all the way here to confirm and demand the change in the practice. It’s headquarter is located in Rockerfeller Center, New York City (in front of McGraw Hill Building).

Suk-soon says that they have done all forms of struggles, continuing sit-ins in front of the factory, hunger strikes (94 days for President of the local chapter, relay hunger-strike for more than 12 days, support hunger strikes), marches and rallies.

Struggles of 1154 days (in front of Kiryung Electronics Factory) and continuing!

Let’s hear women workers’ stories of South Korea.

Monday, October 13, 2008

NY Times ‘U.S. Declares North Korea Off Terror List’ by Helen Cooper

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration announced Saturday that it had removed North Korea from a list of state sponsors of terrorism in a bid to salvage a fragile nuclear deal that seemed on the verge of collapse.
Sean McCormack, the State Department spokesman, said that the United States made the decision after North Korea agreed to resume disabling a plutonium plant and to allow some inspections to verify that it had halted its nuclear program as promised months earlier.
The deal, which the Bush administration had portrayed as a major foreign policy achievement, began slipping away in recent weeks in a dispute over the verification program. Just days ago, North Korea barred international inspectors from the plant.
The decision to remove North Korea from the terror list was a dramatic moment for President Bush, who had called the country part of an “axis of evil” and had only reluctantly ordered administration officials to engage in negotiations, saying that the United States had made deals with the nation’s leaders before without winning enough concessions.

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