VA Employees to Hold Demonstration at St. Petersburg VA Regional Office

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Feb. 27 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Department of Veterans Affairs employees (VA) will hold a demonstration at the St. Petersburg VA Regional Office to shed light on the culture of retaliation and need for improved working conditions at the facility. In the aftermath of the termination of AFGE Local 1594 Executive Vice President Javier Soto for reporting waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement, members of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 1594, say the environment, steeped with employee intimidation tactics and gross mismanagement, must change immediately.

"The work we do is critical to serving veterans as far as their benefits are concerned," said AFGE VA Local 1594 President Valorie Reilly. "When management prioritizes retaliation and reprisal over fulfilling agency missions, that is problematic. Our own activist was dismissed after reporting critical missteps that have been substantiated by independent sources. VA Secretary Bob McDonald has committed to creating an open culture at the VA and has pledged to end retaliation against whistle-blowers. The leaders at this facility are failing to address problems inhibiting the claims process. In order to meet the needs of our veterans, management here must listen to their boss, commit itself to real solutions and end retaliation. "

Details of the demonstration:

Who: AFGE Local 1594 members at the St. Petersburg VA Regional Office

What: "Stand Up For Our Veterans" demonstration at St. Petersburg VA Regional Office           

When: 12 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27

Where: 9500 Bay Pines Blvd., St. Petersburg, FL 33708

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. AFGE's National Veterans Affairs Council represents 220,000 employees within the Department of Veterans Affairs. 

For the latest AFGE news and information, visit www.afge.org or Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, iTunes and YouTube!

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SOURCE American Federation of Government Employees

Related Links

http://www.afge.org

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