All Employee VA Survey

The all employee VA survey was approved in good faith by the NVAC mid-term bargaining team in July of 2020. In September of 2020, I received a concern that employees should be encouraged to not take the survey, the approved survey gave you an option to volunteer. There is no mandate to express your concerns.

One of the concerns stated was “we have to get our NVAC voice out there for all to know who we are and what we stand for.” It was also stated that “now is the time for us to be assertive as a council.” I agree with both statements: however, you do not get what you want, need, and accept by being silent. This concern has been discussed on email and no one suggested we discourage participation. I also think Locals should let us know what they disagreed on, so that VA cannot sway the survey with positive results only.

As someone stated in the discussion, if you want to respond, your response to the survey should be thorough and brutally honest and show your dissatisfaction. At a time when the world is in havoc, at a time where your official time has been taken, at a time of a pandemic with mixed messages, at a time where there is no involvement with daily issues, at a time when VA and the Secretary of VA is out to gut our contract and much more, you should express your concerns with the state of what you see in VA. Therefore, in good conscience, I cannot discourage you or ask you to give up your right to speak on this issue in these difficult times. Hope you understand my decision on this issue.