Saturday, July 07, 2012
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has decided to halt the involuntary downgrading of jobs, many of which were at VA hospitals, following protests from workers and their union.
The controversy began after the VA launched its “Job Classification Modernization Initiative.” What that entailed was changing the employment descriptions of many positions and lowering the pay for some, including low-wage employees working in the VA health care system.
On June 13, the workers’ union, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), held a rally outside VA headquarters in Washington so department employees could voice their displeasure.
VA leaders have now ordered a temporary stop to the involuntary downgrades. Officials said the department incorrectly classified some positions and did not respond in a timely manner when the changes were successfully appealed.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
To Learn More:
VA Halts Employee Downgrades (by Steve Vogel, Washington Post)
At Rally, VA Workers Denounce Job Reclassifications (by Joe Davidson, Washington Post)
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