CVC Union Welcomes Firing Of CEO
Thursday, July 29, 2010(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)
The union organizing workers at the Capitol Visitor Center welcomed the
news yesterday that the Center’s CEO has been fired (Head
of Capitol Visitors Center gets fired, The Hill 7/27).
“You have taken the first steps towards correcting an untenable situation at
the CVC,” AFSCME Council 26 Executive Director Carl Goldman wrote to Architect
of the Capitol Stephen Ayers. “Management has put the visiting public and
employees in potentially dangerous situations through the mishandling of
suspicious substances. It has endangered employees’ health by limiting Visitor
Assistants’ access to water when working outside on hot days, and has only
provided them with light weight jackets when working outside during the
winter.” Noting that “the Capitol Visitor Center needs not only a change in
personality, but also a change in management philosophy,” Goldman urged Ayers
to recognize the CVC workers “as an asset to be valued and consulted,”
adding that “CVC employees believe in the mission of the agency. With a CEO
and management team that values their work, you will find them and AFSCME to be
important partners in serving Congress and the visiting public.”