Union workers stage Labor Day protest against VA Secretary in Overland
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OVERLAND, MO (KMOV) — Dozens of local union workers gathered Monday to demand a fair collective bargaining agreement, they argue that Veteran Affairs (VA) Secretary Robert Wilkie is refusing to come to the negotiating table.
The group gathered outside the Veteran Benefits Administration Building in Overland and chanted as cars drove by.
Leaders say the VA has continued shortages of PPE throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and has eliminated hazard pay for staff.
A proposal put forward by by the VA in 2019 aims to severely restrict the use of official time. Workers in at least 10 other states took part in demonstrations over the Labor Day weekend.
“They’re not coming back to the table, they’re basically stating, ‘This is it, this is all,’ but we’re saying in the law it says we’re supposed to bargain, come to the table and negotiate and they refuse to,” said Jonay McCall, president of AFGE Local 96. “Right now, we’re not taking anything, the only thing they’re keeping in the contract is the federal law, they’re taking away our rights, it looks more like a management book than the rights of employees.”
VA says its proposal would re-center the focus on patient care.
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