Milw. Union Members Fight Back for Representation at VA

Union members protest near the Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters in Washington on Feb 13, 2018. On Thursday, group leaders accused VA officials of undermining their own health care system by failing to fill mounting vacancies within the department. (Military Times,Leo Shane III/Staff)

“The administration is setting us up to fail so they can dismantle veterans’ preferred health care provider” 
-- Alma Lee, National Veterans Affairs council president for the American Federation of Government Employees

The men and women who take care of our veterans at the VA in Milwaukee are currently working in extremely challenging conditions. Last year President Trump issued an Executive Order which severely limited the role that the unions can play in protecting workers in federal government jobs, particularly the Veterans Administration facilities. While that order was partially rescinded in a legal victory for labor, VAs across the country are implementing it and blatantly ignoring the court ruling. The government has appealed the case and oral arguments in US Circuit Court will begin April 4th. Meanwhile, Workers at Milwaukee’s VA want management to abide by the court ruling and the conditions outlined in their Master Collective Bargaining Agreement as they work to meet the needs of area veterans.

Gayle Griffin, AFGE Local 3 President, and the stewards of the American Federation of Government Employees have reached out for support as they seek to maintain standards in an increasingly difficult situation. There are reports that active union members are targeted for discipline. After taking an issue of disputed ability to use official time for union representation to arbitration, the union recently received a ruling in its favor. The arbitration ruling stated:
“On March 19, 2018 the agency advised the union that official time would be tracked and record under the VATAS system by a request form and supervisory approval, which change the prior practice.”……“The implementation by the agency of the change in tracking and recording official time is a violation of the MCBA. Bargaining about recording and tracking official time must take place during term bargaining. The agency must revert to the practice of tracking and recording official time in use prior to its implementation of the notification of March 19, 2018.”

This ruling is a bit of welcome news for representation locally. Nationally AFGE leadership has been vocal that they view the Executive Order and the understaffing as means to undercut quality at the VA, in an effort to eventually privatize the whole system. We must stand together locally and across the country to preserve the VA and support those who work there.

Written by Pam Fendt, President of Milwaukee Area Labor Council