Veterans Affairs employees at the VA Employee Education System, Long Beach, CA and two Vet Centers in Beckley and Princeton, WV voted this week to be represented by AFGE.
Read More
The Tomah VA hospital in Wisconsin has been in the news lately for allegedly prescribing high doses of drugs to veterans. But did you know that it was AFGE members who blew the whistle on these practices that may have led to 33 dead veterans?
Read More
The federal government set a new record in hiring veterans. In fiscal 2014, 33.2% of new hires were veterans, up from 31% in 2013, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announced this week.
Read More
The VA Crisis Hotline Call Center receives about 22,000 calls every month from veterans and active-duty military members who have lost hope and are thinking about committing suicide. The center’s 275 health science specialists work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to listen to those who cry out for help. The HBO documentary, "Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1," that just won an Oscar last weekend.
Read More
Veterans Affairs Secretary Bob McDonald received a rock star welcome as he addressed a packed house at the AFGE National VA Council’s meeting early Sunday morning. The Council meeting is part of AFGE’s annual Legislative Conference being held here in Washington, D.C. Feb. 8-11. Secretary McDonald's appearance this weekend was the first time a VA Secretary has spoken at a VA Council meeting at the legislative conference.
Read More
AFGE has long said that the Department of Veterans Affairs is top heavy and that the department needs more frontline workers in order to better serve veterans. This week’s announcement by VA Secretary Bob McDonald to reorganize the VA into five regions is a step in the right direction as it will reduce the department’s bloated middle management and shift resources to focus on providing more care to more veterans.
Read More
A bill introduced earlier this month to take back bonuses given to employees could be used to retaliate against whistleblowers looking to speak out against mismanaged care for veterans.
Read More
House and Senate lawmakers have introduced legislation that would make life a lot easier for federal employees who also are disabled veterans. The Wounded Warriors Federal Leave Act would give 104 hours of sick leave up front to new federal employees who are veterans with a service-connected disability rating of 30% or greater.
Read More
AFGE is proud to defend the rights of tens of thousands of veterans working in the federal and D.C. governments.
Read More
Stop cheating our veterans!
Read More
As the Department of Veterans Affairs is still reeling from the secret waitlist and Legionnaire scandals, the recent closing of the emergency room due to a shortage of doctors at the Fayetteville VA Medical Center in North Carolina puts a damper on its efforts to improve the department’s image and sends a wrong message to our nation’s heroes.
Read More
In keeping with VA Secretary Robert McDonald’s commitment to AFGE and its National VA Council to reverse harmful downgrades of medical center employees who interface with patients, the Department ordered top leadership to delay grade reductions for all 17 targeted positions covering nearly 21,000 lower wage employees.
Read More
