VA Information Round Up: Attacks on Federal Workers
By Maya Diaz
Fellow SEIU HCII Department of Veterans Affairs Union Members,
The Trump administration has continued in its relentless attacks on federal workers, including our dedicated members at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center and Hines VA Hospital. Staying informed and ready to take action is now more important than ever.
This week, Union VA workers across the country were illegally terminated. Among them are our dedicated members who take pride in serving our veterans. These firings are part of a broader, ongoing attack on federal employees—an injustice we refuse to accept. We stand firm in our commitment to defending our VA members and will continue to fight for them.
You were promised healthcare and stable employment, yet this administration prioritizes billionaires while seeking to profit off those who have sacrificed the most—our veterans. Every wrongful termination means fewer essential caretakers for our veterans, broken promises to those who served, and another family struggling to make ends meet.
Already 6 employees have been returned back to work by an MSPB judge (see below) and a temporary restraining order is in place for no more illegal probationary terminations. SEIUHCII is currently evaluating our legal options to bring more illegally fired workers back to work.
As Black History Month comes to a close, we want to recognize that a majority of VA workers, and many of the veterans they serve, are African American. These attacks on VA jobs disproportionately harm Black workers and veterans alike. The administration may attempt to divide and weaken us, but when we stand together, we win.
Keep reading for additional updates →
Rally for Federal Employees and Veterans
This past Wednesday, SEIU Healthcare rallied in support of Black History Month, workers, and all communities. We sent a clear message to the federal government: we are not backing down against attacks on federal employees. We encourage all members to stand with us in this fight because your jobs matter and should not go dismissed!
Your presence, your voices, and your stories are powerful—we need them now more than ever.
→ CLICK HERE to watch a recording of the rally.
Remote Workers
This week we met with members of ER/LR central office concerning the White House Return to Office memo.
Per VA directives bargaining unit employees are who currently under A (Ad Hoc) or V (Virtual) in section 3 or employees who have a telework agreement as a result of a reasonable accommodation will not be impacted. Employees who need a reasonable accommodation or would like to request an Ad Hoc agreement (utilizing VA form 0740) should do so.
No telework agreement will be canceled or altered prior to located suitable work space for an employee.
For employees who are fully remote within 50 miles commuting distance of their federal work place will be tentatively expected back to work by May 5, 2025 and those work are fully remote but work more than 50 miles away from their duty station will be expected back to work on July 28, 2025.
Many of our fully remote members work in call centers that no longer have space or in the computing center and have long since left your cubicle. These are issues that we raised with the Agency and they ensured us that no agreements would be changed until space was found.
We also discovered in this meeting that many employees were miscoded or had missing agreements. Please locate your agreement and confirm it is correct with your direct supervisor.
Please join us for our next VA membership meeting Wednesday March 5 at 6pm –REGISTER HERE.
Six Federal Workers Rehired
According to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), six workers were rehired until at least April 10th in response to the mass termination of federal employees.
This decision came after U.S. Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger argued that there was reason to believe federal agencies violated the law when firing these employees. As a result, a 45-day delay of their terminations was issued.
Rehiring these six workers is an important step in ensuring that the Office of the Special Counsel and the MSPB protect the rights of all federal employees.
→ CLICK HERE to read more.
Update Your Contact Information
The administration is going to make it more difficult for us to be in touch with our union members. We want to make sure that you receive communications from SEIU Healthcare. Click the link the share your updated contact information.
→ CLICK HERE to share your updated contact information.
As we engage in a legal strategy with multiple lawsuits against the Trump administration, we need to ensure our membership stays strong. Share the online membership card below with your coworkers to help them become a part of the union.
→ CLICK HERE to access the online membership card.
→ CLICK HERE to register for our next VA membership meeting on Wednesday, March 5 at 6 p.m.
Thanks for staying updated. Our fight continues. As always, email me with any questions: Anne.Igoe@seiuhcil.org.
In solidarity,
Anne Igoe Vice President and Director for Health Systems
