We’re not sitting idly by.
On August 6th, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) terminated our union contract, along with the contracts of our union siblings, and we’re fighting back. Will you send an email to your member of Congress right now and demand that they step up to protect VA nurses' right to advocate for patients with the guaranteed protections of a union?
The VA claims this move is to comply with an executive order signed on March 27th. Additionally, they say this is good news for Veterans and caregivers. This could not be further from the truth. As union nurses, we know that collective bargaining rights are fundamental to carrying out our critical role as patient advocates. It is because of VA nurses' ability to speak up about patient safety through our union that our nation's veterans receive the highest level of care.
This is just the latest attack in the battle to break the spirit of working people in this country. But we will not be broken. We will continue to fight for and assert our statutorily guaranteed collective bargaining rights and our First Amendment right to speak freely against policies that hurt veterans and the public. Congress has a critical role to play in protecting patient safety and standing up against this abuse of executive power, so our representatives need to hear from us now.
We know this administration is hellbent on silencing nurses and other VA workers to steamroll the destruction of the VA. This administration is marching toward the privatization of veterans’ care so they can move billions of taxpayer money out of the VA system, which is proven to provide excellent veteran-centric care, and into the coffers of private health care corporations run by billionaires.
VA nurses provide high-quality, therapeutic care to our veteran patients every single day. We cannot stand by and allow this administration to intimidate and silence us.
I am so grateful for your support.
In solidarity,
Irma Westmoreland, RN
Chair of Veterans Affairs
National Nurses United
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