Submitted by the Executive Council
Referred to the Legislation and Policy Committee
Whereas, the men and women who served our country in the military service deserve the best that our nation can provide; and WHEREAS, some 2.1 million union members, or 14 percent of all union members, and countless thousands of retired trade unionists are veterans of military service; and
WHEREAS, the Union Veterans Council (UVC), a project of the AFL-CIO, was established by the AFL-CIO pursuant to the resolution adopted by the AFL-CIO Executive Council in March 2009; and
WHEREAS, the purpose of the Union Veterans Council is to bring together union leaders and union members who are veterans to speak out on veterans’ issues and influence public policy to improve the quality of life for U.S. veterans and their families. The two primary areas of focus for veterans are access to good jobs and access to quality health care; and
WHEREAS, the UVC will work to protect veterans’ preference and re-employment rights as well as expanding training programs such as helmets to hardhats. Veterans should be hired to convert Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) medical records to a paperless operation. The UVC will also work to ensure that the new GI bill is fully funded and implemented to include federally registered on-the-job training and apprenticeship programs; and
WHEREAS, the UVC will work to ensure that the DVA health care program is fully funded and more support is provided for the treatment of more recent veterans with unique levels of injuries and service-related medical conditions. The UVC will work to pass advance appropriations for DVA budgets and to increase DVA facilities in underserved areas; and
WHEREAS, the Union Veterans Council will hold government officials, candidates and elected officials accountable to the needs of military veterans and their families; and
WHEREAS, the UVC will make our positions on veterans’ issues known to candidates for public office and support the appointment of labor-friendly veterans to government agencies at all levels; and
WHEREAS, the UVC will also encourage union veterans to take leadership roles in other veterans’ organizations and will strive to form coalitions and alliances with other veteran groups around union veterans’ issues;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the AFL-CIO and its affiliate unions support the establishment of the Union Veterans Council as an AFL-CIO constituency group organization and will fully support and assist the activities of the Union Veterans Council.