Ranking Member Takano Reintroduces Bill to Provide Full Collective Bargaining Rights to VA Healthcare Employees

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (CA-39), reintroduced the VA Employees Fairness Act with 103 original co-sponsors. This bill brings parity to the federal workforce by ensuring full collective bargaining rights for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Title 38 healthcare professionals, including registered nurses, physicians, dentists, and physician assistants. 

“VA healthcare workers work tirelessly to provide high-quality care to our nation's veterans and their families. This bill would grant these essential workers the collective bargaining rights that they deserve and have been fighting for, as well as help VA improve employee retention. This is the right thing to do,” said Ranking Member Takano.

Title 38 healthcare clinicians, with very limited collective bargaining rights, work side by side with psychologists, pharmacists, and other clinicians with full bargaining rights under Title 5. This bill will allow Title 38 healthcare professionals to have the same rights – not more – to negotiate over routine workplace issues such as scheduling and errors in pay that are exercised every day by other VA clinicians and federal employees everywhere. Guaranteeing VA healthcare providers the same bargaining rights as other providers will help improve workplace conditions, promote employee retention, and ultimately benefit our nation’s veterans.

This bill is supported by the Federal Workers Alliance, AFGE, National Nurses United, AFSCME, IFPTE, SEIU, and NFFE  

“For decades our union has sounded the alarm about how the lack of collective bargaining rights and fair working conditions has driven thousands of VA healthcare providers, a third of whom are veterans themselves, to the private sector,” said AFGE National VA Council President Alma Lee. “On behalf of the 304,000 VA employees our union represents, 75,000 of whom would be impacted by this law, we applaud Representative Mark Takano for introducing critical legislation that provides voice to those who work day and night to provide the highest quality of care to our nation's veterans.”  

"As VA nurses, it's our honor to care for our nation's heroes. We take that responsibility very seriously, and that often means speaking up to management on behalf of our patients to ensure they receive the best care possible. RNs in the VA must be granted full collective bargaining rights to allow us to bargain over patient care and clinical competence, peer review, and compensation. National Nurses United strongly supports the VA Employee Fairness Act sponsored by Ranking Member Mark Takano and urges Congress to quickly move this legislation forward so that VA nurses are empowered to make the VA a safer place for both nurses and veterans,” said Irma Westmoreland, RN, Chair of Veterans Affairs, National Nurses United. 

“Healthcare providers across the federal government are afforded collective bargaining rights, except for those caring for our nation’s veterans. The dedicated nurses, physicians, physician assistants, dentists, and other clinicians serving within the VA deserve the ability to collectively bargain on key topics as it relates to fulfilling their critical mission of providing the very highest standard of care. VA professional clinicians must have the opportunity to bring issues affecting veterans’ healthcare to the bargaining table for discussion. When they cannot, veterans suffer. The VA Employee Fairness Act will not only help fill thousands of vacancies within the VA, but it will also enhance healthcare coverage for our veterans. Thank you to Ranking Member Takano for his leadership on this issue,” added NFFE President Randy Erwin. 

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