The fourth episode of AFGE’s new series, The Activist, highlighting our union members who have stepped up to help make a difference in the lives of their colleagues and our government.
Yvonne Angel is president of AFGE Local 2157, which represents more than 3,700 employees at the Portland VA Medical Center and other VA facilities in the area. She has been an AFGE member for 15 years, the last of which she’s served as a local officer.
Yvonne became involved in the union after an incident that she felt was unfair. She had been a nurse at the VA for 12 years when a new work schedule was offered to nurses. The preferred schedule, however, was given to new hires who had been with the VA for only three and six months. She felt it wasn’t right but was not sure what to do, so she reached out to her local union, which informed her that indeed it wasn’t fair and that management had violated the contract. The local fought to have the VA fix the situation.
“I was given a tour change because of that. And I thought I’ve been a union member for 12 years and I didn’t even know my rights,” she recalled. “So because of that I needed to know my rights, what management can and cannot do to me or any of my coworkers, so I became a steward with the union and after we got our offices back after Trump, the president at that time asked me to become a chief steward. I did and worked my way up from chief steward to first vice president to president. I’ve been the president now for about a year.”
Yvonne said that moment changed her life. She became more aware of laws and regulations. She talked to her coworkers to spread the word. She even talked to her kids about their working environment and what their employers can and cannot do.
Yvonne believes that the union plays a crucial role in helping the VA accomplish its mission of taking care of veterans. As the local president, she knows about staffing shortages, workload, unfair treatment, and working environment, which directly impact the quality of health care employees provide to veterans.
Listen to Yvonne talk about why it is important that VA employees are treated with dignity and respect and are given the support they need to do their jobs.
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