Union rallies against future firings at the VA in eastern Kansas
LEAVENWORTH — Local employees of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs rallied outside of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Medical Center in Leavenworth to protest against potential cuts at the department.
A leaked memo from the VA shows the administration plans to cut up to 80,000 jobs from the department. So far, the VA has announced 2,400 job cuts, but didn’t share what roles the employees served or their locations.
“We’re going to be fighting against this they’re trying to do, and fighting remote work as there’s no space,” said Jenny Ellis, vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees 906, which represents Topeka.
Rally-goers hold signs for onlookers outside of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center on Saturday in Leavenworth. The union representing VA workers is protesting a promised reduction in force.
The campus has started taking in federal employees from other agencies that are subject to an executive order that tells federal employees they must work from an office. Most health care workers already work from a facility, but the order may impact Veterans Benefits Association employees, another branch of the VA, which ise more likely to have flexible working arrangements.
Union representatives confirmed the reshuffling of federal employees but said they weren’t sure how many. The executive order told federal employees they should report for in-person work if there’s a federal facility within 50 miles.
The rally on Saturday was organized by the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 750,000 federal employees. The AFGE Local 85 represents VA employees in Leavenworth, but several local union representatives from Topeka also came to show support.
American Federation of Government Employees union members hold a rally Saturday outside of a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital in Leavenworth.
“We’re going to be out here to support our sister union,” said Bryan Harper, the president of AFGE 906, which represents VA workers on the Topeka campus.
Thus far, the cuts haven’t been deep, with union representatives confirming that two VHA employees lost their jobs. The VA declined to share the number of cuts with The Capital-Journal.
The VA is also been hesitant to share the scope of VBA cuts to union representatives, according to AFGE national representative Jennifer Gum.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: East Kansas VA rallies in opposition to federal shakeup
