afge-admin
January 21, 2021
: Union members call for VA to come back to the table and bargain in good faith to ensure employees and veterans are protected as COVID-19 cases continue to surge
January 18, 2021
With covid-19 ravaging the nation at record rates, many Department of Veterans Affairs employees say they lack the support needed to fight the disease. A survey conducted by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents VA workers, indicates most staffers were not informed when colleagues contracted the coronavirus, about half were not told patients had covid-19 before health-care providers served them, and some workers did not have adequate personal protective equipment to shield against the infection
January 6, 2021
For decades, federal employee unions and advocacy organizations have complained about weak protections for feds who stand up and blow the whistle on waste, fraud, and abuse.
December 28, 2020
Advance media speculation about Joe Biden’s choice for Secretary of Veterans Affairs reflected the common assumption that, per usual, a military veteran would get the job. Instead, Biden has nominated Denis McDonough, a 51-year old veteran of the Obama White House who never served in the military and also lacks any background in health care administration–a relevant qualification because the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operates the largest public hospital system in the country.
December 23, 2020
VA leadership isn’t sharing all the facts around COVID and how it’s impacting workers and veterans. Without accurate information it makes it difficult to advocate for adequate PPE or other protections against the virus
December 22, 2020
With the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approving an emergency use authorization (“EUA”) for the Pfizer and BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine this past Friday, many around the country have hopes that the end of our national – and indeed, global – ordeal is in sight, and that a return to normalcy is within reach. For others, the EUA raises more questions than answers, as lingering concerns about side effects, safety, and transparency may persist
December 21, 2020
They hollowed out federal agencies. They took away our workplace rights and protections. They attacked the merit systems. They undermined our democracy.
The past four years has taught us that the White House’s unchecked executive actions could destroy our professional civil service, workplace rights, and democracy. Now that we see the light at the end of the tunnel, we urgently need to reverse the damage and make changes so no future administration can ever threaten their existence again.
As the Biden-Harris administration is set to take office on Jan. 20, AFGE is eager to work with the administration to repair, restore, and “Build Back Better” Americans’ trust and respect for the federal government.
December 18, 2020
: VA Is Increasingly Leaning on Contract Nurses as COVID-19 Cases Surge
Employees lament staffing shortages even as VA has brought on 66,000 new workers since the novel coronavirus pandemic began.