Asbestos Workers Walk Out in MD

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)Construction workers escalated demands for a safer workplace by walking off the job in Montgomery County, MD last week. Since late 2011, these workers – employed by ACECO, a Silver Spring-based environmental remediation firm – have been removing asbestos from the offices of the Department of Health and Human Services in Rockville. Early last week some two dozen signed a letter to ACECO owner Michael Citren demanding they be able to “work in a safe environment,” “be treated with dignity and respect in the workplace,” and “be paid a living wage.” With management refusing to meet their demands, workers walked off the job Thursday as supporters from LiUNA Mid-Atlantic brandished signs and chanted outside. “The workers’ actions sent a strong message” said LiUNA Mid-Atlantic Organizing Director Steve Lanning. “They are serious about winning a stronger voice in their workplace.” – report by Ben Kreider, LiUNA Mid-Atlantic; photo by Ernest Ojito, LiUNA Mid-Atlantic