Private workers, nonprofits hit by Gateway Arch closure

St. Louis’ Gateway Arch is among many national parks forced to shutter and sideline federal workers during the partial government shutdown, but the towering attraction’s closure is also hurting private tourism workers and nonprofits.

Partners of the Gateway Arch National Park estimate they’ve collectively lost more than $600,000 in revenue since Dec. 22, when the shutdown began because of a gridlock in Congress over President Donald Trump’s request for U.S.-Mexico border wall funding. Nonprofits and contractors have also had to furlough dozens of workers who sell souvenirs, feed visitors and lead tours near the country’s tallest monument, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

These private employees work alongside National Park Service workers, who are among the 12,000 federal employees in Missouri affected by the shutdown. But they won’t receive back pay, even if government workers are compensated for lost wages.

The nonprofit Jefferson National Parks Association, which runs shops, leads tours and curates exhibits by the Gateway Arch, has had to furlough about 24 employees, said CEO David Grove. Some workers are using paid vacation time to keep a paycheck coming in, but they soon could join other employees who’ve recently filed for unemployment, he said.

Grove estimated that the association has lost roughly $225,000 so far because of the shutdown.

Meanwhile, about 16 full-time workers for the association’s contractor, Photogenic, have been affected. The company, which sells souvenir photos by the Arch, has tried to staff employees on other projects but it’ll be difficult to keep workers on the payroll indefinitely, said Steve Craig, Photogenic’s CEO.

Craig said the shutdown causes experienced staff to seek work elsewhere.

“That’s the real cost, not the dollars and cents. It’s the knowledge you lose,” he said. “We end up replacing an experienced person with an inexperienced person. The cost of the shutdown continues long after the shutdown is over.”

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Information from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, provided The Associated Press