Patrick Kennedy, Maurice Hinchey, Peter Winch, and Chad Harris

Friday July 31, 2009

U.S. Reps. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) and Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) will appear this week on AFGE's "Inside Government" radio show.

Kennedy will discuss health care reform, why it's important for Congress to act quickly, and what a final bill could look like. Kennedy also will address the need to properly care for our nation's veterans – something he calls a "top priority." Hinchey then will discuss his efforts to end A-76 privatization studies currently being conducted by the Department of Defense. Hinchey included language in the FY10 Defense Appropriations Bill that will protect nearly 6,000 military and civilian jobs, including at least 531 positions at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.

AFGE Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Attorney Chad Harris and National Organizer Peter Winch will detail the first formal labor-management meeting between any union, but specifically AFGE, and TSA management. The meeting gave front-line Transportation Security Officers an opportunity to voice their concerns to management. Harris and Winch will shed light on several issues raised in the meeting, including TSA leave policies, representation rights, and the Performance Accountability and Standards System – TSA's pay-for-performance system.