• March 29, 2024
    Member Login
    Username:

    Password:


    Not registered yet?
    Click Here to sign-up

    Forgot Your Login?
    Upcoming Events
    Membership meeting
    Apr 17, 2024
    AFGE Local 548 Membership Meeting will be done by telephone conference due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Conference call line: 605-475-4718
    Membership meeting
    May 15, 2024
    AFGE Local 548 Membership Meeting will be done by telephone conference due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Conference call line: 605-475-4718
    Membership meeting
    Jun 19, 2024
    AFGE Local 548 Membership Meeting will be done by telephone conference due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Conference call line: 605-475-4718
    Contact Elected Officials!
    Follow Us!
    Facebook icon
    Newsletter Sign-up
    Sign-up for newsletter & email updates
  • Keeping In Touch Monthly Newsletter
    Updated On: Feb 23, 2022

    Keeping In Touch Monthly Newsletter

    Your efforts enable us to return to the bargaining table and fight for the workplace rights we deserve. We’re heading into contract negotiations on March 1st determined to defend and protect the rights of our members and the veterans we care for. As a symbol of unity and the strength in our numbers, our Negotiation Team will be wearing NVAC red shirts every Wednesday during contract negotiations.

    Show your support by wearing red on the first Wednesday of negotiations, March 2nd. Any red shirt will do, but you can also get your own NVAC red shirt here! We’d love to hear from you, and see pictures of you wearing your shirt in solidarity. Post photos and voice support for our contract fight at #RedForFeds on Facebook and Twitter.

    Learn more about what articles are up for negotiation, and what’s at stake for you and your fellow VA workers by watching this short video. Let’s secure historic victories to better serve VA workers and our nation’s veterans for years to come. 

    Updates from AFGE National VA Council

    Here’s the latest from AFGE NVAC.

    AFGE NVAC Celebrates Black History Month

    In celebration of Black History Month, we are proud to highlight the historic impact and contributions of Black VA workers. To the Black doctors, nurses, social workers, housekeepers, engineers, physical therapists, veterans service representatives, dentists, attorneys, cooks, mental health specialists, benefits administrators, nursing assistants, cemetery administrators, pharmacists, and other professionals who uphold the mission of the VA each day, we celebrate you and all that you do to support veterans and their families.

    For decades, Black union members have continued to play a critical role in the transformation of the labor movement. This dedication has paved the way for many fights AFGE has taken on, including our current fight for racial justice at the VA and the upcoming negotiation of our master collective bargaining agreement – where a diverse group of AFGE NVAC leaders will bargain to ensure that all workers are treated with fairness, dignity, and respect in the workplace.

    This month, and every month, we thank our Black union leaders and members for their commitment to our union, our veterans, and our country. It is because of your contributions that the VA remains a model for health care systems across the nation.

    In conjunction with AFGE B.L.A.C.K., the Women’s and Fair Practices Department (WFP) will be hosting three virtual Black History Month events this February. Follow the links below to register!

    Feb. 23 from 7-9 p.m.: History of the Black Labor Movement

    Feb. 24 from 7-9 p.m.: Race and Duty: A Conversation with Black AFGE Law Enforcement

    Feb. 28 from 7-9 p.m.: AFGE Black Member Panel

    The WFP will also be hosting its annual Civil Rights Luncheon at the 2022 AFGE Legislative Conference, which has been rescheduled for March. And every Friday, we celebrate the work and lives of our Black members on Facebook. Stay tuned by following our page.

    Join Our Fight for Higher Wages, Ask Your Representatives to Pledge Support for the FAIR Act

    The push for President Biden’s Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act (H.R. 6398 and S. 3518) is still underway. We’re calling on members of Congress to pass the FAIR Act without delay, granting federal employees a 5.1% pay raise in 2023, a 4.1% increase across the board, and a 1% increase in locality pay.

    Federal workers are paid 23% less on average than their counterparts in the private sector. Our members deserve wages that match the essential nature of their work. Your dedicated advocacy already secured an average raise of 2.7% last year - let’s keep up the fight and push for 5.1%!

    We need your help to get this done. To support the FAIR Act and AFGE’s other legislative advocacy efforts, click here to ask your federal representatives to co-sponsor the bill.

    NVAC Calls on Members of Congress to Address Challenges Facing VBA Workers

    This month, we submitted a Statement for the Record on behalf of our members at the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), specifically our Legal Administrative Specialists (LASs) in our VBA National Call Centers, as well as our Veteran Service Representatives (VSRs) and Rating Veteran Service Representatives (RVSRs) at VBA’s three Pension Management Centers in St. Paul, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. These employees work diligently to help veterans, survivors and dependents navigate the VA’s claims and benefits processes.

    These workers, many of whom are veterans themselves, are extremely knowledgeable about the benefits that the VA has to offer veterans and their families. They are a critical resource that bridges the divide between veterans and the care they need. Unfortunately, these same workers face countless barriers that negatively impact their ability to do their jobs, including “talk time” evaluation standards that pressure LASs to prioritize efficiency over high quality service, and the problems with the VBA National Work Queue is giving VSRs and RVSRs the work needed to meet their performance standards.

    In our testimony, we urged members of Congress to reform performance standards by eliminating “talk time” guidelines, re-establishing a dedicated pensions call center, performing an exhaustive review of the forms and steps required for veterans to fill out their claims, and more.

    Representative Elaine Luria (D-VA), Chairwoman of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, voiced support for our demands in her opening statement saying"We are concerned by reports from VA employees that call center times are limited, regardless of the reason for the call. For example, when a survivor calls to first provide notice of death of a loved one, operators are given a short amount of time and must rush these individuals through the arbitrary processing of forms and questioning while they are still grieving.” Click here to view our full statement to Congress.

    AFGE and NVAC Leaders Meet with Congressional Watchdog to Discuss Racial Discrimination on the Job, Plot Investigation’s Path Forward

    Thanks to the efforts of our brave members who continue to speak out against racial discrimination at the VA, this month we met with representatives of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to discuss how systemic racism impacts VA workers and the veterans we serve.

    We shared many anecdotes and data points demonstrating that racism is a pervasive problem at VA facilities nationwide. We plan to fight for long-term, meaningful changes to address it. Know this: we hear you, and pledge to keep you updated in the coming months as this GAO investigation continues. 

    Read more about our GAO presentation here, and help spread the word about the fight against systemic racism at the VA by clicking here to share on Facebook!

    Sign Up for the 2022 Health & Safety Conference

    The 2022 Health and Safety Conference will be held from April 4-7! We’ll discuss the most important safety issues we’re facing today, including COVID safety. Official time has been approved for the conference.

    Register today for the 2022 Health and Safety Conference! Contact your local president for any questions about registration and how to get involved.

    Legislative Updates

    Bill Spotlight: “Protecting VA Employees Act”

    VA MISSION Act AIR Commission: Our Fight To Save Our VA Medical Centers

    Members Spotlight:

    Paul Fleming, AFGE Local 1037

    This month, we are proud to spotlight AFGE Local 1037 President Paul Fleming. In Paul’s 25 years working with the VBA, his dedication to our members and all federal employees has been unwavering.

    Paul joined AFGE NVAC his first day on the job, noting now that he wanted to help support VA workers nationwide and held values that closely align with those of our union. Paul recently advocated on behalf of our Black and brown members in Mississippi, sharing the challenges they face as workers of color during our recent meeting with the Government Accountability Office (GAO). In shedding light on how systemic racism impacts his colleagues and the veterans they care for, Paul has helped pave the way for real, structural change. He has also on numerous occasions provided input and insight with Members of Congress and staff on the issues facing VBA, and what reforms are needed to better help employees serve veterans.

    Paul is also an active member of his church and in his community. He founded “A Better Tomorrow,” an organization that has helped over 10,000 children access school supplies in just four years, and was tapped by Congressman Bennie Thompson to join the Mississippi Black Leadership Institute.

    In the News

    Trump's VA Legacy: Human Capital Mismanagement

    The American Prospect

    A Pay Raise for 67,000 Feds, And More

    The Government Executive

    Anticipating Boom of Aging Veterans, VA to Expand Services for the Elderly

    Military.com

    Biden task force proposes pro-union organizing rules for federal workers

    NBC News

    Contribute to Our Next Newsletter

    SUBMIT A NEWSLETTER UPDATE

    Brothers and sisters, do you have a relevant victory or update to include about your local in our next newsletter? Fill out this intake form!

    More Online

    Image

    Stay Connected

    Not on our mailing list but want to be? Click here to receive this newsletter in your inbox!


  • AFGE Local 548

    Copyright © 2024.
    All Rights Reserved.

    Powered By UnionActive


  • Top of Page image