AFGE Plans Rally for VA Employee Activists and Other Stakeholders to Protest Poor Leadership by VISN 6 Director Hoffmann

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American Federation of Government Employees

Sep 10, 2014, 05:19 ET

DURHAM, N.C., Sept. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) employee leaders and community activists will rally at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) VISN 6 regional office Friday, Sept. 12 to protest anti-worker policies and poor leadership that is negatively impacting service delivery to veterans in North Carolina, Virginia and the VA Medical Center in Beckley, West Virginia. The VA medical centers in VISN 6 have been weakened by arbitrary and cruel downgrades of low wage veteran employees, the VISN director's foot dragging in complying with mandates from Congress and VA's new Secretary Bob McDonald to conduct a massive effort to hire more providers to get veterans off long wait lists.

"If we do not continue to take regional VA health care officials to task for their lack of effective leadership, who will?" said AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr. "We have to stand up, we have to continue to raise our voices. Our veterans deserve the absolute best care that this nation can provide. We will not let ineffective VISN directors continue to expand their own bloated bureaucracies and receive huge bonuses at the expense of adequate staffing and compensation of the dedicated front-line employees who actually care for veterans every day at VISN 6 medical centers."

"We commend Secretary McDonald for taking a stand for patients and their dedicated providers, and against harmful downgrades," said AFGE National VA Council President Alma Lee. "In our view, the VISN 6 director needs to realize he does not operate autonomously and must be held accountable for his poor leadership. We are deeply concerned about the suspected growth of regional administrative staff in light of the struggles the agency has in meeting direct patient care demands."

"Calling attention to the challenges we are facing in the region is critical," said AFGE VA Local 1738 President Essie Hogue. "The success of veterans' care is directly linked to the working conditions of dedicated VA employees. We will continue to pressure the agency to end these arbitrary downgrades and improve resources at the point of patient care. We need all of our intersecting communities to help us in holding the VA accountable for fulfilling its duty to our nation's heroes."

When: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET Friday, September 12

Where: Department of Veterans Affairs VISN 6 Headquarters
300 W. Morgan Street, Durham, N.C.

Speakers: AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr.
Department of Veterans Affairs Employees
Community activists with the North Carolina AFL-CIO and Working America

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 670,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia, including 210,000 at the Department of Veterans Affairs. For the latest AFGE news and information, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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SOURCE American Federation of Government Employees