(January
19, 2010)
In
order to further improve the lines of communication and to respond to the
concerns between the National VA Council and you our members, I have
established a National VA Council Briefing. This NVAC Briefing will bring you
the latest news and developments within DVA and provide you with the current
status of issues this Council is currently addressing. I believe that this
NVAC Briefing will greatly enhance the way in which we communicate and the way
in which we share new information, keeping you better informed.
Alma
L. Lee
National
VA Council, President
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In
This Briefing: Joint Labor Management Training Update
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As you know, we have been
working with management to fully implement a joint labor management training
program. There have been some bumps in the road, and we are not where I
want us to be. However, on January 13th and 14th,
we had a very productive meeting with management.
A highlight of the meeting
was a lengthy discussion with Leslie Wiggins, the new appointed Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Labor Management relations. She stressed the
importance of training in the Department’s new Human Capital Plan, and
pledged her support to our aggressive training program. She also
expressed support for a new train the trainer class, to get even more
instructors qualified and ready to go to the field to conduct training.
Unlike last year, where management fought us every step of the way, this time
they expressed interest in participating in a joint class.
We continue to send
trainers to conduct both joint and union only training. However, we know
that there are many facilities that could be helped by such training. We
hope that you will go to the Council website, www.afgenvac.org
and click on the training link and submit a request for training. If you
have any questions with regard to training, please contact our Director of
Education and Training, Jim Dunphy, at dunphyjj@aol.com
or (202) 253-5755.