February Newsletter: Contract Negotiations Begin March 1st, Show Your Support!

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AFGE to Launch Website for Feds to Join Hazard Pay Lawsuit

February 23, 2022

Retirement Work shop

March 9, 2022

Keeping In Touch Monthly Newsletter

Contract Negotiations Begin March 1st, Show Your Support!

Your efforts enable us to return to the bargaining table and fight for the workplace rights we deserve. We’re heading into contract negotiations on March 1st determined to defend and protect the rights of our members and the veterans we care for. As a symbol of unity and the strength in our numbers, our Negotiation Team will be wearing NVAC red shirts every Wednesday during contract negotiations.

Show your support by wearing red on the first Wednesday of negotiations, March 2nd. Any red shirt will do, but you can also get your own NVAC red shirt here! We’d love to hear from you, and see pictures of you wearing your shirt in solidarity. Post photos and voice support for our contract fight at #RedForFeds on Facebook and Twitter.

Learn more about what articles are up for negotiation, and what’s at stake for you and your fellow VA workers by watching this short video. Let’s secure historic victories to better serve VA workers and our nation’s veterans for years to come.

Updates from AFGE National VA Council

Here’s the latest from AFGE NVAC.

AFGE NVAC Celebrates Black History Month

In celebration of Black History Month, we are proud to highlight the historic impact and contributions of Black VA workers. To the Black doctors, nurses, social workers, housekeepers, engineers, physical therapists, veterans service representatives, dentists, attorneys, cooks, mental health specialists, benefits administrators, nursing assistants, cemetery administrators, pharmacists, and other professionals who uphold the mission of the VA each day, we celebrate you and all that you do to support veterans and their families.

For decades, Black union members have continued to play a critical role in the transformation of the labor movement. This dedication has paved the way for many fights AFGE has taken on, including our current fight for racial justice at the VA and the upcoming negotiation of our master collective bargaining agreement – where a diverse group of AFGE NVAC leaders will bargain to ensure that all workers are treated with fairness, dignity, and respect in the workplace.

This month, and every month, we thank our Black union leaders and members for their commitment to our union, our veterans, and our country. It is because of your contributions that the VA remains a model for health care systems across the nation.

In conjunction with AFGE B.L.A.C.K., the Women’s and Fair Practices Department (WFP) will be hosting three virtual Black History Month events this February. Follow the links below to register!

Feb. 23 from 7-9 p.m.: History of the Black Labor Movement

Feb. 24 from 7-9 p.m.: Race and Duty: A Conversation with Black AFGE Law Enforcement

Feb. 28 from 7-9 p.m.: AFGE Black Member Panel

The WFP will also be hosting its annual Civil Rights Luncheon at the 2022 AFGE Legislative Conference, which has been rescheduled for March. And every Friday, we celebrate the work and lives of our Black members on Facebook. Stay tuned by following our page.

Join Our Fight for Higher Wages, Ask Your Representatives to Pledge Support for the FAIR Act

The push for President Biden’s Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act (H.R. 6398 and S. 3518) is still underway. We’re calling on members of Congress to pass the FAIR Act without delay, granting federal employees a 5.1% pay raise in 2023, a 4.1% increase across the board, and a 1% increase in locality pay.

Federal workers are paid 23% less on average than their counterparts in the private sector. Our members deserve wages that match the essential nature of their work. Your dedicated advocacy already secured an average raise of 2.7% last year - let’s keep up the fight and push for 5.1%!

We need your help to get this done. To support the FAIR Act and AFGE’s other legislative advocacy efforts, click here to ask your federal representatives to co-sponsor the bill.

NVAC Calls on Members of Congress to Address Challenges Facing VBA Workers

This month, we submitted a Statement for the Record on behalf of our members at the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), specifically our Legal Administrative Specialists (LASs) in our VBA National Call Centers, as well as our Veteran Service Representatives (VSRs) and Rating Veteran Service Representatives (RVSRs) at VBA’s three Pension Management Centers in St. Paul, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. These employees work diligently to help veterans, survivors and dependents navigate the VA’s claims and benefits processes.

In our testimony, we urged members of Congress to reform performance standards by eliminating “talk time” guidelines, re-establishing a dedicated pensions call center, performing an exhaustive review of the forms and steps required for veterans to fill out their claims, and more.

Representative Elaine Luria (D-VA), Chairwoman of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, voiced support for our demands in her opening statement saying, "We are concerned by reports from VA employees that call center times are limited, regardless of the reason for the call. For example, when a survivor calls to first provide notice of death of a loved one, operators are given a short amount of time and must rush these individuals through the arbitrary processing of forms and questioning while they are still grieving.” Click here to view our full statement to Congress.

AFGE and NVAC Leaders Meet with Congressional Watchdog to Discuss Racial Discrimination on the Job, Plot Investigation’s Path Forward

Thanks to the efforts of our brave members who continue to speak out against racial discrimination at the VA, this month we met with representatives of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to discuss how systemic racism impacts VA workers and the veterans we serve.

We shared many anecdotes and data points demonstrating that racism is a pervasive problem at VA facilities nationwide. We plan to fight for long-term, meaningful changes to address it. Know this: we hear you, and pledge to keep you updated in the coming months as this GAO investigation continues.

Read more about our GAO presentation here, and help spread the word about the fight against systemic racism at the VA by clicking here to share on Facebook!

Sign Up for the 2022 Health & Safety Conference

The 2022 Health and Safety Conference will be held from April 4-7! We’ll discuss the most important safety issues we’re facing today, including COVID safety. Official time has been approved for the conference.

Register today for the 2022 Health and Safety Conference! Contact your local president for any questions about registration and how to get involved.

Legislative Updates

Bill Spotlight: “Protecting VA Employees Act”

Last year, AFGE filed an unfair labor practice complaint against the VA for its failure to comply with a final and binding arbitration award, requiring it to retroactively bargain with NVAC on its use of the 2017 VA Accountability Act. The law, which was intended to hold managers accountable, has instead resulted in the firing of thousands of lower-level employees within the first few quarters of its implementation in 2018.

Now, thanks to the tireless efforts of our members and legislative team, Congressman Conor Lamb (D-PA) and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) have introduced H.R. 6682, the “Protecting VA Employees Act.” If enacted this bill would make two critical changes to the VA Accountability Act:

First, it would restore the “preponderance of the evidence” standard for internal VA discipline, making the VA prove with at least 50 percent of the evidence that an employee committed the misconduct he or she is being accused of. This will help eliminate overzealous punishment, and not discipline employees who have not committed misconduct.
Second, the bill would restore the ability of the MSPB to mitigate a punishment imposed by the VA. Restoring this power to the MSPB and arbitrators will prevent the VA from charging either unnecessary or extra punishment, both with the knowledge that unfair punishments will be reduced, and from the desire to avoid unnecessary, costly, and time-consuming appeals.

We urge you to call on members of Congress to co-sponsor H.R. 6682, the “Protecting VA Employees Act.”

VA MISSION Act AIR Commission: Our Fight To Save Our VA Medical Centers

Now that the MISSION Act has sent more than one-third of VA care to the private sector, the AIR Commission is gearing up to decide what to do with all VA medical facilities that have been starved of staff and resources by privatization. This dangerous law does not recognize labor unions as stakeholders who must be consulted during this facility review process.

That's not stopping NVAC from asking for a strong voice and opportunity to provide input throughout the Commission proceedings. We will be ready for action when the first big AIR Commission milestone is reached next month: Secretary McDonoughs' expected announcement of his recommendations for which medical facilities he has selected for closures, expansion, or other major changes. These recommendations will then be reviewed by the nine-member Commission that will hold public hearings, conduct investigations and develop its own recommendations for Congress before it expires in 2023.

NVAC is counting on our members to remain vigilant about what they are seeing and hearing at their facilities and at their VISNs about what changes are already being planned. Our members will also play a valuable role at public hearings that the Commission will hold around the country in the coming year.

Members Spotlight
Paul Fleming, AFGE Local 1037

This month, we are proud to spotlight AFGE Local 1037 President Paul Fleming. In Paul’s 25 years working with the VBA, his dedication to our members and all federal employees has been unwavering.

Paul joined AFGE NVAC his first day on the job, noting now that he wanted to help support VA workers nationwide and held values that closely align with those of our union. Paul recently advocated on behalf of our Black and brown members in Mississippi, sharing the challenges they face as workers of color during our recent meeting with the Government Accountability Office (GAO). In shedding light on how systemic racism impacts his colleagues and the veterans they care for, Paul has helped pave the way for real, structural change. He has also on numerous occasions provided input and insight with Members of Congress and staff on the issues facing VBA, and what reforms are needed to better help employees serve veterans.

Paul is also an active member of his church and in his community. He founded “A Better Tomorrow,” an organization that has helped over 10,000 children access school supplies in just four years, and was tapped by Congressman Bennie Thompson to join the Mississippi Black Leadership Institute.