(September 2, 2009)

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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President’s Briefing:   Labor Day Message

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      As the days grow shorter, and the runs start for back to school clothes and school supplies, this must mean that Labor Day is coming.  To many, it only signals the end of summer – a last day at the pool, the beginning of the school year, or a final opportunity to fire up the grill for hamburgers and hot dogs.  But we who represent the workers on the front line of veterans care realize that Labor Day has a deeper significance. 

 

        Labor Day had its origin in the desire for the New York Central Labor Union to designate one day in the year as a day of rest for workers.  In 1882, there was no such thing as a 40-hour week, time off on weekends, and overtime pay.  So this one day off was much more than just one of many holidays during the year.  Labor Day did not become an official government holiday until 1894, when Congress passed a bill to recognize the first Monday in September as a day of rest and a day of honor for our nation’s workers.

 

        Much has changed since 1894, and most of those changes in the workplace are the direct result of union action.  Besides the 40-hour week, the union movement is directly responsible for workplace safety rules, child labor laws, and any number of other changes that have made the workplace safer and more productive.  We can be proud of that history. 

 

        But more importantly, we can be proud of not only what labor has done in the past but also what we continue to do, every day, in every state in the union, representing the workers entrusted to our care.  Frontline workers, often in underfunded, poorly staffed and poorly managed facilities, still every day provide care to millions of veterans, whether it be in a medical facility, benefits office, cemetery or staff office.  We can be justly proud of these workers, and what we do to make veterans lives better. 

 

        So on Monday, September 7, let us all grill that last hot dog, and visit the pool for the last time.  But let us also remember the broad shoulders we are standing on – the over a century of union representation that has brought us to this point.  Let us also resolve to continue to work every day to provide the representation our employees have come to expect and to deserve. And last but not least continue to provide quality care to our nations veterans.