аЯрЁБс>ўџ ?Aўџџџ>џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅС'` №ПVbjbjыШыШ 4.‰Ђ‰ЂCџџџџџџЄўўўўўўў†фRRR8ŠІjWЖЮ(і"ѓѓѓСииииии$ huкќўѓѓќўўлюююўўюююkўўЗТ Аящ™QЪR"ƒћ'0W‹,O2 OЗOўЗDѓ0#"юEaЅѓѓѓќќвѓѓѓWjjjЄ Djjj DV,‚ўўўўўўџџџџ STATEMENT FOR THE RECORD SUBMITTED BY AMERICAN FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES, AFL-CIO BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISABILITY ASSISTANCE AND MEMORIAL AFFAIRS HOUSE COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS LEGISLATIVE HEARING OCTOBER 8, 2009 Thank you for the opportunity to express the views of the American Federation of Government Employees, regarding H.R. 3544, National Cemeteries Expansion Act of 2009.   AFGE commends Chairman Filner for his leadership in introducing H.R. 3544 to expand and improve burial options for our veterans. AFGE supports H.R. 3544, and urges the Subcommittee to include additional provisions to restore valuable employment opportunities for veterans at new and existing VA national cemeteries, and ensure that veterans and their families are properly honored when they choose a VA National Cemetery as a final resting place.      AFGE is the exclusive representative of employees of the National Cemetery Administration. We are deeply concerned about the widespread use of contractors to perform the caretaker and interment work traditionally performed by veterans.  These employees consider it a tremendous honor to maintain these burial grounds up to National Shrine Status and to be able to lend comfort to the steady stream of families who visit National Cemeteries every day.  AFGE has informed the VA of these concerns on numerous occasions but sadly, the practice continues at many national cemeteries.  The use of contractors at existing cemeteries violates federal contracting out laws because the VA directly converts these functions to contracts without competition. In addition, Acting Assistant Secretary Muro acknowledged at a September 24, 2009 hearing before this Subcommittee that contractors are being used to carry out all the caretaker and interment work in new cemeteries, thus depriving returning OIF/OEF veterans of a large number of valuable job opportunities in a very tight job market. By allowing MSN directors and local cemetery directors to contract out this work, the Department is also breaking its own promise to veterans and their families. On the VA website, the VA assures families that the final resting places of their loved ones will be in maintained by devoted veterans. For example, on the VA website, veterans can view the video, “Day in the Life: Cemetery Caretaker”, in which Caretaker John Wells states:  “We owe a debt of gratitude for those people that went overseas. People that have given everything, and never came back home.  That's what we feel like our dedication is, is to provide a service.  Not just a service to do the funeral and the headstone, and mowing the grass.” ( HYPERLINK "http://www.va.gov/JOBS/career_types/wells-video.asp" \o "http://www.va.gov/JOBS/career_types/wells-video.asp"  HYPERLINK "http://www.va.gov/JOBS/career_types/wells-video.asp" \o "http://www.va.gov/JOBS/career_types/wells-video.asp" http://www.va.gov/JOBS/career_types/wells-video.asp.) However, what NCA is actually offering veterans and their families in many locations is a facility where most or all caretaker functions, including mowing and trimming, raising sunken graves, setting headstones, raising and realigning headstones, and assisting maintenance workers, gardeners, and interment crews, are being performed by a contractor workforce that does not perform at the same high standards as NCA’s dedicated veteran workforce, and that sometimes conducts itself inappropriately in workplace that is a National Shrine. It is not surprising that some contract workers would wear inappropriate clothing, or eat their lunches on the grounds in violation of rules against picnicking, or continue to mow in close proximity of a service, because they lack the unique experience and dedication of a veteran who considers it a high honor to care for the final resting places of their fallen brothers and sisters and interact with families visiting their loved one’s gravesites. Nor do they have the same opportunity as a full time permanent NCA employee to be mentored regarding job duties and appropriate behavior. Secretary Shinseki has made a firm commitment to increase the number of veterans hired by Department -- a very laudable goal in view of recent Labor Department data indicating that the number of unemployed Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is nearly as high as the number of OIF/OEF service members currently deployed. Requiring NCA to hire veterans for these unique and honorable jobs would significantly further the Department’s goal and serve as an excellent model for efforts to increase veteran employment in VBA, VHA and VA Central Office.    Therefore, we urge the Subcommittee to add the following provisions to H.R. 3544 to ensure that the National Cemetery Administration ends this harmful and illegal practice and restores national cemeteries to a true place of honor to veterans and families: Impose a moratorium on new contracts for caretaker and interment functions in existing cemeteries, new cemeteries and cemetery expansions; Prohibit the use of appropriations for new cemeteries on contracts for caretaker or interment services; Require NCA to establish a strategic veteran hiring plan for each new and existing national cemetery that will identify veterans to apply for these positions through outreach to VHA and VBA programs (e.g. Compensated Work Therapy and vocational rehabilitation), local veterans’ groups and state veterans’ offices; Require the Department to make excepted appointments of veterans without competition to NCA caretaker and interment positions under the Veterans Recruitment Appointment (VRA) authority; and Include veterans’ hiring goals in annual NCA director performance measures. AFGE would welcome the opportunity to work with the lawmakers, the Department and veterans’ groups on a joint veterans’ employment initiative for NCA jobs. Thank you.     PAGE  {00269026.DOC}PAGE 4 {00269026.DOC} эяa • – ˜ О = M Q X Ќ й  ' ) < = Z [ \ ] ! Ѕ а ї =CHJVX‰Š—™žІВПьяQbš›œЇЙHNіяшпжпжпжпжпжпапжпжпяпжпяпЪпжпСЛЪВаВЌВЅЌВЌœВВЌЪ‰ЌпЌпЌ h\WЦh\WЦh\WЦh\WЦ6]^Jh\WЦhБ'(^J hБ'(H*^J hБ'(^Jh\WЦh\WЦ^J h^ Ј^Jh\WЦh^ Ј^J h\WЦ^J hє'‹^Jh\WЦhВъ^Jh\WЦhђ^J h\WЦhВъ h\WЦhђh\WЦhВъ5\6(yЅоюя— [ ! 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