State and national legislators, veterans, and union leaders gathered in Newington on Friday, Aug. 22, to rally against the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) decision to cut contracts with unions and plans for layoffs.
“(Veterans) have earned all the benefits we can give them and more. Here at the VA they have earned the right to quality health care,” said Sen. Matt Lesser (D-Newington). “What I’m hearing from my constituents, folks in Newington and across the district I represent, is that care is now in jeopardy thanks to the actions of this administration.”
On Aug. 6, the VA announced it would terminate nearly all of its collective bargaining agreements with federal unions. This was made possible because of an executive order that was signed by President Donald Trump in March that excluded many federal agencies from labor-management relations programs.
In its announcement, the VA said cutting ties with unions will “make it easier for VA leaders to promote high-performing employees, hold poor performers accountable, and improve benefits and services to America’s Veterans.” The department also claims it will save taxpayer money, citing the fact that in 2024, almost 2,000 VA employees spent more than 750,000 work hours on union activities.
More than half of those employees were serving direct patient-care roles, the VA said in an Aug. 22 press release about this decision. Those employees are now back in the office and working full-time. The VA has also reclaimed 180,000 square feet of office space, worth approximately $5.4 million, that was provided to unions without charge and will repurpose those spaces to expand administrative and clinical services.
Certain jobs are exempt from the executive order about collective bargaining, including security officers and firefighters. The VA plans to reduce the number of unionized employees from 375,000 to around 7,000, according to the press release.
There are around 450,000 employees who work for the VA and the majority of them are a part of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which has three local chapters in Connecticut.
“The consequences are devastating,” claimed Sandra Salmon, the president of the AFGE Local 2138 Union, which represents Connecticut’s VA employees. “VA nurses and doctors are leaving in droves, unable to cope with the impossible workloads, veterans are suffering as essential services are cut and staffing is slashed, research funding that should save veterans’ lives has been halted, disciplinary actions against federal employees have skyrocketed, often without proper representation.”
AFGE Region 2 Leader and Navy veteran Timothy McLaughlin says that these changes were done in “retaliation” for the union’s advocacy. He says that union members have been threatened and intimidated by the administration.
One example he gave happened recently: on Aug. 21, he went to Manhattan for an event by the New York City Central Labor Council and a few hours before the event started, all of the AFGE union leaders were threatened with termination or disciplinary action if they spoke, McLaughlin claimed.
“Terminating our rights enshrined in law by Congress to have a voice in the workplace through collective bargaining and justice against unjust actions will only result in hindering the outstanding care that Veterans Administration employees provide,” McLaughlin said. “Today, as the atmosphere of fear, injustice and lower morale, at the end of the day, will be paid for through the veterans we serve.”
Over the years, the VA has faced numerous allegations of corruption, fraud, and incompetence. This is not just a national problem; there have been issues in Connecticut as well.
Earlier this year, the former Director of Safety and Security for the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs, Stephen Scatena, retired after being accused of violating state ethics laws. Scatena claims that he was innocent and signed a retirement agreement under duress because his health care benefits had been threatened by state veterans affairs higher-ups.
Last month, the VA’s Office of Inspector General released a report about the VA healthcare system in West Haven. The report found that a combination of factors, including cultural problems and infrastructure issues, contributed to the death of a staff member, a contractor, and a patient during a construction project, and high leadership turnover. There were also staffing shortages, and a large number of employees said they were considering leaving their jobs because of “stress and burnout.”
On Feb. 13, Sally Bell, who is a certified nurse assistant (CNA) at the Rocky Hill Veterans Home and Hospital, testified in front of the Appropriations Committee. Bell stated that the facility was severely understaffed and underfunded. At the time, Bell reported that she was one of 12 CNAs at the facility, which has around 100 beds. She argued that there needed to be more funding to hire more nurses and CNAs, and pay them competitive wages to increase worker retention.
“Every VA employee is important, whether it’s that VA employee that is welcoming you and helping you at the eligibility desk,” said Connecticut veteran and activist Sherri Vogt. She went on to say, “We cannot have those that stand behind the doctors and nurses and social workers and behavioral health professionals, we cannot have them eliminated, scared, looking for other jobs, because they do not think that their future is with the VA, serving those who served.”
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As a veteran I’m happy with getting rid of the unions! They only protect the useless and the money spent on them will be better spent directly on the veterans. Also all government unions should be abolished and outlawed since all they are is bought and paid off voting blocks for whatever political party offers them the most in benefits and pay at the taxpayers expense
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