A Kansas City credit union executive said she did her part for the industry on Bank Transfer Day and now she wonders, "where was everybody else?"
"I was just a little disappointed that there weren't more of us from the movement out there," said Erin Williams, vice president-marketing/business development at the $8.5 million United Labor CU.
Williams was speaking of the few numbers of credit union employees at an Occupy Kansas City rally last Saturday in the city's Liberty Memorial Park.
As it turned out there were three staffers, herself and two from the $18 million Reliance CU of Kansas City, Kan. who showed up to pass out information and field queries from rally participants inquiring about joining a credit union.
United Labor along with the Missouri Credit Union Association had been invited to appear at the protest gathering on BTD.
Williams ended up spending all day at what she called a "high traffic" site near the rally site serving as the chief CU spokeswoman. That's because, "I ended up doing five TV interviews" on the street not far from a Bank of America branch where protesters shredded BofA debit cards.
Williams made clear she had no intention of being made part of that event, steering clear of the demonstration "but I was surprised there were not more credit union people out there." The rally lasted from 1 to 4 p.m.
Williams also lamented that she actually signed up very few members for her 3,950-member CU because of its limited union membership "but I did my best to help direct people interested in joining" other Kansas City CUs where they could be eligible. She said she handled referrals for some 60 to 70 people.
Her boss, Ken Vogler, president/CEO, said he had planned to join Williams at the rally but had to cancel "because that was moving day for my fiancée."
Officials of the Missouri Credit Union Association, which had been in contact with Occupy leaders, said earlier they had been providing info to the protesters but had made no arrangements to be on the site.
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