WHEREAS:

            The brothers and sisters of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) who have served in the armed forces (veterans) may struggle with issues other AFSCME members do not, nor do these veterans have an independent voice of their own; and

WHEREAS:

            Finding a voice within the local often contains difficulties that a regular non veteran member cannot understand, making this population misunderstood or overlooked. Often the opportunity to bring in seasoned leaders to the local is overlooked due to not understanding the mindset or struggles faced by veteran members; and

WHEREAS:

            Connecting with this population will give the membership an understanding of the importance of our struggles in the social and political environments. Finding the pathway to assist with the reconnection to society, through the education of our AFSCME members at council and local levels, for this multicultural population is paramount to continued participation in committees, events and political issues; and

WHEREAS:

            Members that find assistance in filing veterans’ claims, or assistance in employment and housing issues, become more active in locals and secure in the workplace. Union members that have served our country are often eligible for membership in organizations such as Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), American Legion and other service connected groups. The union locals may assist members in need to get assistance from these organizations, as well as entry into Veterans Administration assistance programs the member may not know are available to them. The locals may report survey findings of need to council boards for further assistance as well as make reports to council leadership or established committee chairs.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

            That AFSCME supports a well-funded and adequately staffed Veterans Health Administration so that Veterans may receive the health care they were promised without undue delay; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

            That AFSCME and affiliates at all levels are encouraged to establish veterans assistance programs to connect members who have served our country in the uniformed services with veterans service organizations; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

            AFSCME affirms its support for our brothers and sisters working for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs who are devoting their careers to caring for our nation’s veterans and we call on the Department to create a more positive organizational culture in order to maximize the quality of care and services offered to veterans.