American Federation of Government

Nurses, Docs Unionize by Anita Weier 
from the Madison Capital Times August 27

Registered nurses and full-time doctors and dentists at the Veterans Hospital in Madison have voted to unionize. The Aug. 22 vote to join the American Federation of Government Employees was 102 to 47, with 149 of the 265 employees involved voting.

"This was one of the last VA facilities in the country where registered nurses had not been unionized," said Michael Victorian, a spokesman for the union in Washington, D.C. Scott Krueger, a spokesman for the William S. Middleton Veterans Hospital in Madison, verified that the local hospital was one of the last two or three nationally where this sector of employees was not unionized.

"They have voted on it here the last couple of years, and this time it was approved," Krueger said.

Victorian said the vote made it clear that the professional employees at the hospital no longer wanted to be "at will" workers.

"We are proud to welcome these employees into the local union," said Ian Smith, president of AFGE Local 1732, which represents workers at the VA facility. "These employees have made a clear choice for union representation. Together we will work hard to ensure quality workplace conditions and veterans care."

AFGE has successfully lobbied nationally against VA outsourcing, excessive mandatory overtime, and chronic budget and staffing cuts, according to Victorian.

VA facilities are chronically underfunded and understaffed, and there have been problems implementing nurse and physician pay legislation, he contended.