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Fourteen lifeguards fired last month after appearing in uniform at the city pool in a parody of “Gangnam Style,” the Korean pop music video that has been viewed hundreds of millions of time online, are getting their jobs back.
The City Council in the Southern California town of El Monte voted to rehire them pending a management review at the aquatic center, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune (http://bit.ly/TtLfPJ) reported.
The lifeguards' parody of the video by Korean pop star PSY showed them in city-issued swimsuits dancing underwater and on diving boards at the pool. The “Gangnam Style” video has spawned countless such spoofs.
City officials had said the workers violated employee conduct standards and prohibitions on use of city property. The lifeguards countered, saying they were off the clock when they made the video.
The controversy quickly gained attention, as the lifeguards received support from many local residents _ and even from PSY.
Hundreds of people attended a City Council meeting this month to defend them. At that meeting, it was announced that a contractor had been hired to review the aquatic center's management, policies and procedures, including the steps leading to their firing.
Mayor Andre Quintero recommended they be rehired, saying that if the lifeguards were employed, they would be more likely to cooperate with the independent review.
Opponents said they wanted to see the results of the investigation completed before deciding whether the lifeguards should get their jobs back.
The council voted 3-2 on Tuesday to allow them to return. (AP)
<관련 한글 기사>
말 춤추다 쫓겨난 그들, 돌아온다!
싸이의 '강남 스타일'을 흉내 내며 '말 춤' 놀이를 벌였다가 해고됐던 미국 로스앤젤레스 인근 소도시 내 한 시립 수영장의 안전요원 14명이 본래의 일자리로 돌아가게 됐다.
미국 캘리포니아주 엘몬테시(市) 의회는 16일(현지시간) 이들의 해고 문제를 검 토한 뒤 표결을 통해 복직시키기로 결정했다고 현지 지역 언론이 전했다.
이들 직원은 지난달 수영장에서 수영복을 입은 채 강남스타일 뮤직비디오의 패러디물을 제작, 유튜브에서 조회수 약 200만건을 기록하는 폭발적인 인기를 누렸지만 모두 해고당했다.
이들이 '시 소유 시설물을 개인적으로 활용해서는 안 된다'는 복무규정을 어겼다는 게 시당국의 판단이었다.
대부분 대학생들로 이곳에서 일해 학비를 충당하던 해고자들은 이에 근무시간이 아닐 때 문제의 동영상을 제작했다며 페이스북에 복직 청원 페이지를 만드는 등 여론전을 폈다.
싸이도 이들의 해고 소식을 듣고는 "안타깝게도 나는 아직 여기(미국)에서 신인 이지만, 내가 빅스타가 된다면 정말 그들을 돕고 싶다. (해고는) 공정하지 않은 처사이기 때문"이라면서 시 당국에 선처를 호소하기도 했다.
