Vilsack Gives Union Its Due

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

Just in case any of the assembled USDA workers had any lingering doubts about whose side he was on, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack (r) played his trump card at yesterday’s Employee Listening Session. “I just want all the AFSCME members here to know that I’m a lifetime AFSCME member,” Vilsak announced, pulling his union card out of his pocket to prove it. “It was a great session,” AFSCME Council 26 organizer Beth Van de Bussche told Union City. “USDA workers had a chance to speak directly to higher-ups and tell them what they thought would make the agency a better place to work, how to improve recruitment and retention as well as effectively serving the public and community outreach.” The session’s main topic was “The Cultural Transformation of USDA.”
- photo by Beth Van de Bussche