Senate caves to unions in Veterans Affairs omnibus bill dispute
I think that we can all agree that the Veterans’ Affairs Department has a problem and that the culture at the agency needs to be changed. The only way to change the culture is to change the people who have created the anti-veteran culture there. So the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee set out to make it easier for the agency to rid itself of folks. Well the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) stuck their noses into the process and got everything that they wanted, and nothing that will help veterans (of course), according to the Daily Caller;
All of a federal employee union’s objections were removed from a Senate bill designed to help the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) discipline bad employees, making it politically easier for the bill to pass, but indicating it may not be doing the very thing it’s supposed to.
Yeah, well, we can’t have Republicans doing something that will actually benefit anyone these days, can we?
The original draft said no employee may complete their initial probationary period unless their manager affirmatively signs off on it. But this was changed so the employee will automatically become permanent unless other action is taken.
The Government Accountability Office recently said one of the best ways to ensure bad employees are booted from government is by not renewing them after the probation period, but the period often ends without managers realizing it.
The union’s other three complaints were that employees didn’t have enough time to appeal, reprimands wouldn’t be removed from their file quickly enough, and performance reviews could be revised after the fact.
Isakson quickly allowed all of these to be changed. For example, the draft bill says letters of reprimand could be removed from an employee’s file after five years, but the final version reduces it to three years.
I don’t even understand why the AFGE is such a threat to the Senate. I only knew a few people who were members of the union while I worked with the feds. The only people who belonged to the union intended to be F-ups when they began working. The rest of us didn’t see the point.
Thanks to Bobo for the link.
Category: Congress sucks, Veterans' Affairs Department
But…but…but, they want the best for us, don’t they?
AFGE must have been wearing some heavy duty, industrial grade kneepads to get their way with Isakson and Blew-men-thal.
Frankly I don’t think it is the rank and file employees at VA that are the problem. I don’t know how far up the chain AFGE membership goes at VA though. At my agency it is only available to the non-supervisory GS-9 and below. Supervisors, managers and executives do not belong to a bargaining unit. And from what I have seen at VA, it is that group that is responsible for the problems.
But I really don’t have any first hand experience. I retired almost 9 years ago and still have not filed my CA claim (I figured there were kids getting their asses blown off that needed it more than me, still do. )
* my VA claim. /stupid fat fingers (they compliment my fat arse)
The fact that federal employees even have a union is incredulous.
With the amount of protections and rules gummint employees (minus uniformed members of course), what the hell do they need a union for?
You’d think with the downward spiral of union membership across the US, that they wouldn’t care about what unions say as much.
But seriously, what the holy hell?
As a VA Volunteer working directly with our hospitalized veterans, I see a lot of good and bad within the VAMC. Our nurses are greatest for the most part. If I could redo my military career, I would would have gone into the Army Medical Corps based on what I see with the ward nurses. They are the best. That said, I also see a lot of bad things within the VA system. My PCP is a good example. I’m amazed she even works in the medical field.
The VA Culture is the big problem. I think its going to be decades before things truly change.
IMHO.
VA problem stems from the management it seems. Everytime I hear people complain, it is always about management and their lack of leadership along with corruption. I always hear great things about nurses at VHAs. I am going to start working at the VA as a GS11 here shortly at HQ level. I hope that the leadership there is strong, should be interesting.
Wait, the VA won’t give out medicinal marijuana, but you’re getting PCP? What VA is that???
Primary Care Physician, Einstein…
Congress caving to unions? This is my shocked face.
Follow the money……
I have a way to fix this situation FAST. Make our congresscritters get their health care at a VA facility instead of Bethesda.
Things would improve overnight.
EXACTLY!
Only at the Washington DC VA. They rest of them would still have their own horror stories.
“The Government Accountability Office recently said one of the best ways to ensure bad employees are booted from government is by not renewing them after the probation period, but the period often ends without managers realizing it.” Of course it’s the best way to boot someone. Once off probation, they get all of the job protections known to man. And if there is ANY manager who can’t mark on his paper or electronic calendar when a probationary employee’s probation ends, that manager (or womanager, if you prefer) needs to be demoted–yesterday.
That’s Personager AC.
If an employee is not doing what they were hired to do, showing up late or not coming in at all they need to be gone. Fired on the spot, releived of duty or whatever, and that goes for everyone of them, management as well as r&f, period.
Only one acronym I can think of WTF????
Stop Helping Us!
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Thank you for your post and the comments here. I was terminated from two federal positions in two yrs. After witnessing massive discrimination from senior VA managers and director level kleptocrats, I decided to retain two attorneys. I believe this is a 20-30% success shot at EEOC. But if winning, I think it will help with disabled post nine eleven vets such as me. My grandad was a union person early in my life I appreciated unions. I took labor history and actually helped a union company build a tunnel to relieve traffic.
As far as unions go, I’m not concerned with afge as much as I am concerned with managers schmoozing into positions in high, high, high govt. and making rules for themselves, and not bending an inch away from the status qou. I will keep this post updated when completed. LOL.