AFGE NVAC October-November Newsletter 2014 11/06/14

AFGE/NVAC News
October/November 2014, Volume 14, Issue 3
AFGE/NVAC Hits
100,000+ Members!
Congratulations National VA Council #53!
The AFGE/National Veterans Affairs Council recruited its 100,000 member on August 25, 2014
when an employee from Local 2382 in Phoenix,
turned in her membership application form.
"VA employees know that there is strength in
numbers and they see that AFGE fights on their
behalf every single day to improve working conditions and give them a voice in the workplace,"
AFGE/National VA Council President Alma L. Lee
said. "We're excited to reach the 100,000 mark
and now we'll start working on getting to
105,000."
AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr. said,
"This is a remarkable achievement for the VA
Council and AFGE, and it's a testament to the continued strength and vitality of the labor movement
in this country."
Organizers and activists traveled throughout the
country to sign up new members. Some of the key
organizing topics included increasing staffing levels, whistleblower retaliation and increased funding for duties related to Veteran care.
Membership in the VA Council has increased by
60% since 2007, when the AFGE/NVAC ended the
year with 62,486 members. When we said
“Organize, Organize, Organize,” you delivered.
AFGE National President J. David Cox, Sr. honors
AFGE/NVAC President Alma L. Lee for hitting the
100,000+ member milestone
Inside this issue:
VA Secretary McDonald Addresses LMR
2
VBA Performance Standards Update
3
VA’s National Quality Council Meets
4
AFGE/NVAC Hires Two Staff Attorneys
5
VA Secretary McDonald—Downgrades
6
VISN 6 Rally in Durham, NC-
7
Federal Nurses Week
8
VA Whistleblower Protection
9
Secretary Robert A. McDonald Addresses
AFGE/NVAC Executive Board
trust with Veterans and the
American people; 2) Improve
service delivery; and 3) Set the
course for long-term excellence
and reform.
AFGE/NVAC President Alma Lee
welcomes VA Secretary Robert McDonald
Robert McDonald, Secretary of
the Veterans Affairs, addressed
the AFGE/NVAC Executive
Board on Wednesday, September 24, 2014. He began with,
“You are my heroes for the
work that you do in caring for
our Veterans every single day.”
Secretary McDonald discussed
I-CARE Values: Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect,
and Excellence.
The Road to Veterans Day is a
strategy designed to 1) Rebuild
The organization structure of
the VA was described as a pyramid. The new strategy for operating the VA would be to put
Veterans at the top, followed by
caregivers closest to veterans
and the Secretary at the bottom.
When asked about downgrades, Secretary McDonald
promised to look at all downgrades and responded that he
would do what he can within
his authority. He suggested
leaving positions open until
they get an exception to the
downgrade. He promised to
work with Gina Farrisee, Assistant Secretary for HR and Administration.
One of the first steps he has
taken to change the VA organization is to require all VA employees call him Bob. He said,
AFGE/NVAC Lobbyist Marilyn Park questioned downgrades
“I don’t want you standing up
when I come in a room, I want
you to call me ‘Bob’, I don’t
want an entourage when I travel and I don’t want being treated special.” He said, “My job is
to make your job easier.” “We
need to look at everything that
happens in this organization
from the lens of the Veteran.”
Furthermore, he said if it does
not affect the Veteran in a positive way, “let’s stop doing it!”
He stated they will fill every job
vacancy, but due to the number
of vacancies, he asked for patience.
AFGE/NVAC President Alma
Lee asked, “Are you going to
leave your door open, so when I
make an appointment, I can
walk through it?” Secretary
McDonald responded, “Why do
you need an appointment?”
“It is refreshing to hear what
you are saying,” commented
Bill Wetmore, AFGE/NVAC 2nd
Executive Vice President.
VA Secretary McDonald addresses AFGE/NVAC
Executive Board
2
VBA Performance Standards Update
VBA Under Secretary Allison Hickey, stated that
the latest version of performance standards were
“absolutely unattainable.” For years, AFGE/NVAC
and VBA management have been in disagreement
regarding the numerous problems that have arisen
from VBA’s implementation of increasingly complex and onerous performance standards.
General Hickey has requested to sit down with Labor and review the standards to come up with
changes that are attainable, reasonable and realistic. A small group of Labor and Management will
September 2014 NVAC Joint LMR Meeting
review the standards and come up with solutions
that solve the problems through fundamental Labor and Management cooperation.
On October 1, VBA Central Office requested that
AFGE/NVAC recommend names for Management
participation on the VBA Performance Standards
Workgroup.
President Alma Lee endorsed this effort and said
she looks forward to obtaining reasonable performance standards for VBA employees.
General Allison Hickey addresses AFGE/NVAC Executive Board
150,000 more Veterans received faster, more accurate decisions than FY13
Fierce Government - By Ryan McDermott
Amid the storm of bad news surrounding the Veterans Affairs Department, the agency says it's chipping
away at its disability and pension claims backlog.
In fiscal 2014, the VA processed more than 1.3 million decisions on veterans' disability claims, an Oct. 9 VA
statement says. That's more than last year's rate by about 150,000 claims. About 4.5 million veterans and
survivors received more than $72.7 billion in VA compensation and pension benefits in fiscal 2014, the VA
says. At the end of the year, the disability claims backlog, which is defined as any disability claim pending
longer than 125 days, was reduced by 60 percent from the peak backlog in March 2013 and is at its lowest
number in nearly 4 years, the statement says.
Veterans waited, on average about 119 fewer days to receive their decisions than they did in fiscal 2013 and is
on target to wipe out the backlog by fiscal 2015.
The accuracy of the claims process has gotten better as well. Accuracy rose from an 83 percent in 2011 to a
90 percent accuracy level in fiscal 2014, the VA says.
The move to a web-based electronic claims processing system has enabled quicker, more accurate delivery of
claims decisions, the agency says.
3
National Quality Council
AFGE/NVAC President Alma Lee and Bob Snyder,
the Acting Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning, announced the reestablishment of VA’s National Quality Council (NQC) and serve as the cochairs of this Council, which includes both management and labor representation. The NQC is mandated by Article 7 of the VA/AFGE Master Agreement.
The Council provides a mechanism for Labor and
Management to work together to improve the quality of services and benefits that VA provides to Veterans and beneficiaries, while enhancing the environment in which VA employees work.
In the initial meetings, the Council agreed to work
on some significant projects to improve quality and
safety operations across VA.
AFGE/NVAC Bids Farewell to Bibi Roberts
The AFGE/NVAC would like to wish Ibidun “Bibi” Roberts farewell and good luck in her future endeavors.
Bibi joined the AFGE/NVAC as staff attorney in 2012.
In an August 29, 2014 AFGE/NVAC Presidents Briefing, Bibi announced her departure. In it she wrote:
“I have worked alongside some excellent colleagues on the Local,
District, and National levels throughout my time here, which has given me a tremendous amount of experience in the labor field. This
has provided me with so many opportunities to grow and develop my
career goals. Now is the time for me to continue to expand on my
goals and I must accept another opportunity to help me along the
way. I cannot thank you enough for the past two years. I am truly
proud of your tireless efforts in reaching 100,000 members and I
can’t wait to hear the news when you reach 150,000. I am honored
to have had the opportunity to serve you all and I wish you the best.”
4
AFGE/NVAC Welcomes Two New Staff Attorneys
Gregory J. Meditz
began his legal career
with the AFGE General Counsel's Office focusing
on employee benefits, disciplinary matters, and
labor-management negotiations, among other areas of employment and labor law.
April Fuller
is originally from Cleveland,
Ohio. She graduated from Cleveland State University, summa cum laude, with a Bachelor of Arts in
Urban Studies and Non Profit Management. Prior
to law school, she pursued a Master’s Degree in
Public Policy from American University. She graduated American University Washington College of
Law, cum laude, with her Juris Doctor. While in
law school, she served as the Articles Editor of the
Labor & Employment Law Forum and the Publications Editor of the Journal of Gender, Social Policy, & the Law.
Greg has held several professional positions before
and during law school. During his law school tenure, Greg served in the office of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce as well as
interned for Judge A. Franklin Burgess, Jr. of the
Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Before
attending law school, Greg worked for APPRISE,
Inc., a nonprofit public policy research institute in
Princeton, NJ.
Greg holds his B.A. in History and Political Science
from the University of Rochester where he attended on a full-tuition merit scholarship. Greg holds
his J.D. from the American University Washington
College of Law.
In his free time, Greg rock climbs, participates in
obstacle races, and volunteers with the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program.
April’s previous employment experience includes a
behavior health center in East Cleveland, and multiple government and nonprofit entities in D.C.
focusing on policy and legal issues. At AFGE, she
served as a Legal Intern for nearly two years, and,
most recently, worked as the Legal Rights Fellow,
Attorney, in the General Counsel’s Office. During
her fellowship she directly represented employees
in arbitrations and appeals before the Merit Systems Protection Board. She also worked with the
Federal Labor Relations Authority, defending Unfair Labor Practice charges against AFGE and filing certification petitions. She is a member of the
Maryland State Bar and is currently pending before the District of Columbia Bar.
In her free time, April is an avid cyclist and enjoys
spending time with her husband and her French
Bulldog.
5
The End of Downgrades?
to reclassify and downgrade
14,000 employees, most of
whom work as a GS-7 or below
and at least 8,000 are Veterans.
The plan was to continue the
downgrades that began in 2008
where approximately 1,600 lowwage employees were reclassified and their pay was permanently cut two years after the
grade was lowered.
VA Secretary Robert McDonald
AFGE.org - Veterans Affairs
Secretary Robert McDonald is
doing what his predecessor refused to do — stop downgrading
low-wage VA positions involving direct services to patients.
Last year, VA announced a plan
VA consistently blames the Office of Personnel Management
(OPM) for the downgrades, but,
as Secretary McDonald stated,
VA has the authority to request
exceptions from OPM and can
also restructure the positions by
adding duties to position descriptions. AFGE has been telling the VA for years that re-
structuring positions is needed
to support the VA’s mission and
improve access, timeliness and
quality of veterans’ health care.
Secretary McDonald recognized
the harmful effect of the downgrades on employee morale and
customer service. “I think we
might not have done a great job
of presenting the importance of
those people,” he said. “I mean,
in any corporation, particularly
one that’s service-oriented, the
people on the front lines serving
the customer are highly, highly,
highly valued. So we’re going
back now and we’re looking at
that, and we’re going to be looking to seek exceptions where we
need them.”
VA Medical Center Tours
Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald has been visiting VA facilities around the country to meet with
staffers, union members and management, greet Veterans and hold town-hall meetings. Healthcare and
benefits facilities will continue to hold quarterly town-hall events to improve communication with, and hear
directly from, Veterans nationwide.
“Every one of our medical centers and regional benefits offices held town hall meetings around the country
in August and September, but we have more listening to do to better serve Veterans and their families,” said
Secretary McDonald. “As part of our Road to Veterans Day, VA is taking a hard look at everything we do in
order to reorganize the Department around the needs of Veterans. Direct feedback from Veterans, employees and stakeholders is an important component of that Roadmap, and key to improving our services and
operations,” Secretary McDonald added.
He has also embarked on a national recruiting tour in the hope of
luring doctors, dentists and nurses to the VA. He is planning to
boost salaries to make the VA's pay scale more competitive and he
discussed a new law that allows the VA to pay up to $120,000 in
debt forgiveness for medical professionals.
6
Rally in Durham, NC Against VISN 6 Policies
Time Warner Cable News
DURHAM-- A national union wants to oust a top VA official. The American Federation of Government Employees held a protest outside the Veterans Affairs Mid-Atlantic Regional office in Durham on Friday. They
want network director, Dan Hoffman, gone. Union members blame him for many of the problems in the VA
system. His office oversees VA hospitals in North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.
Hospitals have come under fire for lack of patient care. A national audit showed the Durham VA had one of
the longest wait times for patients. Hospital officials dispute that AFGE members say part of the problem is
that Hoffman hasn't hired more doctors and nurses. They say he continues to downgrade and cut the pay of
low-salaried employees. "If you're taken down a grade, you're going to end up making less money. You're going to have a lower-career ladder and pensions," said Mike Rosenblatt. "That's a shame, shame, an absolute
shame on Dan Hoffman," said AFGE President J. David Cox.
Many say employees have left which, affects patient care. "We don't have enough, and we need enough employees. We need to hire, hire, hire," said Arleatha White, who works as a nursing assistant at the Durham VA.
Hoffman has yet to respond to any of the media's request for an interview. "And we want strong management
that's going to work well with us to make sure that we're providing the best healthcare to veterans as possible," said Rosenblatt.
Ebola Virus Disease Update
Guidance on Ebola Virus Disease was released by the Office
of Public Health. The VA has
requested the help of Union
partners in sharing this information. Generally, VHA follows
the most up-to-date CDC guidance and recommendations,
which may change as the situation evolves.
VHA will be reaching out to the
National Partnership Council
leadership regarding working
together on developing a plan to
address the concern of Ebola
within the VA.
Facilities should follow periodic
VHA guidance and regularly
monitor the CDC Ebola website:
http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/
7
AFGE National Vice President August Thomas and
AFGE/NVAC President Alma Lee proudly displaying
their Federal Nurses Week Ribbons
AFGE Honors the Federal Nurses Week
AFGE.ORG
Across America, 100,000 federal nurses are silently caring for
our nation’s veterans, active
duty troops and families, and
some of our most vulnerable
populations. In light of their
critical role to our nation’s
health and well-being and their
shared commitment to public
health care systems, the American Federation of Government
Employees (AFGE) resolved to
honor these dedicated public
servants with an annual week of
recognition, called Federal
Nurses Week. Beginning Sept.
22nd through 28th, this yearly
event aims to introduce America to these nurses who work
around the clock to keep our
nation healthy and strong.
“In so many different ways gov-
ernment employees are working
diligently to serve and protect
us,” says J. David Cox Sr., AFGE National President and sole
nurse serving on the national
executive board of the AFLCIO. “Nurses in the federal sector are often overlooked and
we’re advocating to change that.
As a nurse who spent more than
20 years serving veterans, I
know first-hand the sacrifice
and dedication federal nurses
bring to their jobs. We proudly
champion this important new
annual celebration of these dedicated caregivers by establishing
an annual week of recognition
for their crucial role in government service.”
Led by the union’s Nurse Steering Committee and National
Veterans Affairs Council
(NVAC), AFGE is also working
with members of Congress for
the national recognition of Federal Nurses Week through legislation. This designated week
encourages workers and agencies around the country to host
celebratory events and tackle
issues that directly impact federal nurses such as safe staffing,
training and overtime limits.
“Federal Nurses Week provides
us an opportunity to expand our
advocacy and celebration of
dedicated public servants,” added AFGE/NVAC Council President Alma Lee. “Our pride in
representing federal nurses at
the worksite is only surpassed
by their passion for caring for
all patients with love, compassion and professionalism.”
Got News?
We would like you to share your stories, news, recruiting events, awards and milestones.
Send your article or interesting news to Jim King at [email protected].
National VA Council
1970 Roanoke Blvd.
Building 76, Suite 106
Salem, VA 24153
Check us out
on the web!
AFGENVAC.org
Phone: (540) 345-6301
Fax: (540) 224-1931
E-mail: [email protected]
8
AFGE PRESS RELEASE
October 8, 2014
New VA Whistleblower Protection Certification Demonstrates
Agency’s Commitment to Ending Culture of Retaliation, Says AFGE
VA employees’ union urges Department to further protect whistleblowers
through management performance measures
WASHINGTON – The American Federation of Government
Employees (AFGE) lauds the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) recent certification on whistleblower protection.
Through the Office of Special Counsel’s (OSC) 2302(c) Whistleblower Protection Certification Program, the Department has
taken a key step toward compliance with federal laws protecting employees who identify or report problems from retaliation.
AFGE is a staunch advocate for whistleblowers; many front-line
employees it represents have risked their careers to come forward to expose wrongdoing.
“The VA’s whistleblower protection certification is welcomed
news given the agency’s poor track record with supporting and
acknowledging the voices of employees who speak up on behalf of veterans’ needs,” said AFGE National
President J. David Cox Sr. “The training of executives, managers and supervisors is an important piece to
strengthening these critical protections and fulfilling the agency’s goals at the regional and local levels. We
are encouraged by Secretary McDonald’s earnest efforts to end the culture of fear, and AFGE will continue
to be an essential partner in making the VA a retaliation-free workplace.”
Through the certification program, informational posters on prohibited personnel practices, whistleblowing and whistleblower retaliation will be clearly displayed; new employees will be provided written information on these issues, and management officials are required to complete training on whistleblower
rights and protections.
“This is an important step in furthering the protections for whistleblowers on the job,” said AFGE National VA Council President Alma Lee. “But
we still must recognize the continued culture of
fear and intimidation that exists at many local VA
medical centers, benefits offices and other work
stations. Thousands of employees who work every
day on behalf of veterans’ needs are afraid to
come forward because of the culture the VA had
allowed to permeate numerous facilities. To truly
hold managers accountable to the mission of the
Department, their performance measures should
reflect their willingness to comply with whistleblower rights and protections.”
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