Federal Sector Leaders Elected to National Executive Board, Appointed to Audit Committee

June 12, 2009

Federal sector leaders Evelyn Cipriaso and Dale Dandrea Dale Dandrea and Evelyn Cipriaso were elected to serve on the NAGE National Executive Board. Both individuals were nominated by National President David J. Holway and were elected by unanimous vote at the meeting of the full Board on June 5, 2009. President Holway also appointed Local R1-134 president Patrick Lavery to serve as an auditor.

Cipriaso is the president of Local R3-19, which represents all non-supervisory RNs within the VA Maryland Health Care System, including Baltimore, Perry Point, BRECC, and the community-based outpatient clinics through the state of Maryland.

Dandrea is the president of Local R1-144, the Federal Union of Scientists and Engineers. FUSE represents 1,800 non-supervisory, professional, civil service employees at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center—Division Newport, RI. Members include scientists, engineers, mathematicians, patent attorneys, and accountants.

"I am very pleased that Evelyn and Dale accepted their nominations and agreed to serve on the National Executive Board," said President Holway. "They are proven leaders with very strong and proven histories representing members at both the local and the national level. We are fortunate to add these dedicated and talented leaders to the board."

Cipriaso and Dandrea are no strangers to the workings of the National Executive Board; Cipriaso was a member of the Federal Sector Advisory Committee, and Dandrea was formerly a member of the Audit Committee.

The LOCAL CHAPTER congratulates Evelyn on her appointment to the National Executive Board.

Part-Time Veterans Affairs Nurses and Other Medical Employees May Be Entitled to Recalculation of Pension according to Stember Feinstein Doyle & Payne and Timothy P. O’Brien
Pittsburgh – The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) recently ruled that a group of 159 nurses who worked part-time for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) were entitled full-time pension benefits. Many other nurses and other part-time VA medical personnel (physician assistants or expanded-function dental auxiliaries) may also be eligible for recalculation of benefits, according to Stember Feinstein Doyle & Payne, LLC (SFD&P) and Attorney Timothy P. O’Brien.
Part-time VA nurses hired in the 1950s and beyond were guaranteed full-time pensions in exchange for promising to be available day and night and agreeing not to work anywhere else. In 1986, Congress passed a law designed to exclude part-time VA doctors from receiving full-time pension credit for service that included part-time work, but wound up also excluding part-time VA nurses and other VA medical staff.
Beginning in 1989, retired VA nurse Mary Ann Mackin of Pittsburgh began a 20-year campaign for her full-time pension benefits. She sent letters and made calls to Congress and VA officials. In 2001, Congress passed legislation to provide retroactive benefits to part-time VA nurses and other medical staff. But the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) refused to apply the new law to part-time VA nurses who had retired prior to the law’s January 2002 enactment date.
In 2007, SFD&P and O’Brien filed claims with OPM on behalf of Mackin and 158 other VA nurses from around the country. They argued that the new law should apply to VA nurses who retired before January 2002. A Merit Service Protection Board Administrative Judge agreed, ordering that their pension benefits be recalculated. This ruling was upheld by the full MSPB. Some of the nurses will receive retroactive benefits in excess of $100,000.
Mackin’s attorneys believe that many other VA nurses and staff may be able to get their pensions recalculated back to the date of retirement. If you worked as a part-time VA nurse, physicians’ assistant, or expanded-function dental auxiliary, and retired between April 1986 and January 2002, you may be eligible for additional pension benefits. For more information, please contact Attorney Jonathan Cohn at (412) 281-8400 or by email at info@stemberfeinstein.com.

NAGE, Local R 3-19, encourages you to contact any retiree who worked part time for the VA and retired between April 1986 and January 2002

Help Restore Bargaining Rights for VA Health Care Professionals

Over the last several years, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care professionals have seen their collective bargaining rights practically eliminated. Management’s improperly broad interpretation of a certain provision in federal labor law has allowed them to circumvent the bargaining process on numerous critical issues, and the effect is taking its toll on the morale of VA healthcare providers.

It is time for Congress to do what is right for VA workers and the veterans for whom they provide care by passing HR 949/S 362, which will eliminate the collective bargaining exceptions under Sec. 7422 of Title 38.

NAGE is asking our members to send a message to Congress urging them to pass bills HR 949 and S 362, which will effectively expand VA employees' collective bargaining rights.

TAKE ACTION TODAY!

Please go to http://www.nage.org/federal/ to take action!!

Last week, NAGE National President, Dave Holway, and National Treasurer, James Farley, visited Local R 3-19. During the meeting between the Mr. Holway and the Local officers, Mr. Holway informed the Local that he nominated Local President Evelyn Cipriaso to be a member on NAGE National Executive Board. President Cipriaso’s nomination will still be approved by the current NAGE National Executive Board at their next schedule meeting.
Having President Cipriaso entered into the nomination is a tremendous honor both for her personally and for the Local as a whole. The Local fully supports her nomination. Having the privilege of working closely with Ms Cipriaso, we are certain that she will be an asset to the National Executive Board.
Our Congratulations go out to Evelyn !!!

SEIU and the California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC)announced the signing of a transformative cooperation agreement.
The two unions will work together to organize hospital workers throughout the country who don't yet have a union voice, with CNA/NNOC as the leading voice for RNs, and SEIU as the leading voice for all other hospital workers.

WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN THE UNION: Often people ask - why should I join the Union? NAGE Local R 3-19 thinks the answer may be different for each individual, but here are some strong arguments in favor of becoming a dues paying member of NAGE R3-19. Say YES to UNION!!
First, Unions are committed to protecting the rights of working women and men and improving the working conditions of members and their families. NAGE has negotiated local and national collective bargaining agreements which ensure fairness on a variety of issues: Time and Leave, Safety, Education, Counseling, Discipline, Investigations, Compensation, Notification and Negotiability of issues which impact nurses practice (prior to managements implementation), Awards, and Grievance procedures are just some of these areas. NAGE R3-19 is a unified voice for the Nurses throughout the VAMHCS.

In August, the MSPB sided with 158 Nurses who wanted retroactively to receive full pensions for part time work they performed over four decades for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
It is estimated that there are at least 75 other nurses nationwide who could enjoy the increased benefits based on the Board's decision.

Click on the title of this story for the complete article.

If you know any retired VA Nurses who worked Part time and had their retirement reduced, please have them contact NAGE via this website OR they can contact the lead individual of the case, Mary Ann Mackin, at Maryamackin@gmail.com

UPDATE ---- UPDATE ---- UPDATE ---- UPDATE

If you believe that you may be eligible to be part of this pending settlement --- Please go to http://www.VABackPay.com to obtain more information as it becomes available

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There is a back pay settlement involving the VA that was just recently won in U.S. Court of Federal Claims in Washington DC.
With this issue, the court decided that the VA violated pay statutes by failing to pay weekend premium pay of 25 percent or night premium pay of 10 % to certain groups of health care workers when they used annual or sick leave instead of working their regularly scheduled weekend or evening and night shifts. This court decision will cover two dozen jobs classifications of VA workers in skilled health occupations, including RNs. This will involve many retirees, also. This case includes RNs who were employed by the VHA on or after September 5, 1995. NAGE Local officer have spoken with the attorney handling this issue and he will alert the Local when to send out the web-site for employees to opt-in. The attorney said it has been delayed because the VA has some issue with the wording on the site. Eligible employees will need to be prepared to exercise their rights. You must opt-in to be part of this and there will be a time frame involved. As soon as the attorney tells us to let everyone know to go to the web-site, the Local will notify you with the address. This could be a large award as well.
So if you regularly worked Evenings, Nights, Weekends and received straight time payment (no differential pay) when on Annual, Sick, Court, or Military leave, you may be eligible, but will have to opt-in via the website (address still pending) during the window period.
Click on the story title for additional information within an attachment. Watch for more information as it becomes available.

The following article is an unsolicited message from a NAGE Member.
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The Thanksgiving Holiday has come and gone, and we are now into preparation for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, and Ramadan, just to name a few, and depending on how one chooses to celebrate,! Was thinking the other day, during this festive time, of all that this nurse has to be grateful for in his life. And strange as it may seem, NAGE came up on the list !

But then the question arose, …why ? Not so much why am I grateful for NAGE, for

that will become evident by the end of this brief note. But rather, “Why belong in the first place ?” Surely I see myself as a good nurse. And surely, working for such a large setting as the VA, there exists plenty of established avenues within said organization to address any grievances or problems I may have as an employee. Well, true, on both parts. So then, why a Union, and why a Union membership ?

The answer, quite simply,….because one never knows ! One never knows, despite the mantle of being a good nurse, when one might, being human, somewhere down the road

make a mistake. And, while granted there DO exist resources within the VA to protect oneself, and address grievances, one never knows when they may not be enough. Finally,

and quite honestly, there are none so strongly behind the working nurse as NAGE !

Case in point….

While definitely seen as a good nurse, and a valued employee, this RN awhile ago found himself on the proposed receiving end of a disciplinary action. The proposed action resulted from the delayed signing off on notes within a certain practice area. While there can be no excuse for such tardiness, and none was sought, the proposed administrative discipline for same was, initially, far in excess, it seemed, to the infraction. The proposed admonishment would have remained on this nurse’s record for a full two years, potentially impacting annual evaluations, promotion, and even salary for those two years.

With the help of NAGE, and admittedly, a supervisor willing to listen, a case was presented to lessen the proposed disciplinary action. At the end of the day, and only this nurse feels, with the help of the very knowledgeable and able president of our local NAGE chapter, Ms. Evelyn Cipriaso, RN, BSN, the action taken was reduced to a written letter of warning. The letter of warning will remain on the record for six months only, and then, with no other repeat oversights on this nurse’s part, fall away, resulting in a return to a totally clean employment record.

So, why, in spite of being a good nurse, and despite avenues for being able to address one’s concerns and problems, belong to one’s Union ? Because, there is STRENGTH in NUMBERS, and, …..quite simply, ….because one never knows !

A GAO report out this week on nursing at the Veterans Administration highlights a few key factors.

Morale among VA nurses suffers because they often perform tasks that aren’t core to their job, like answering telephones, changing bed linens, transporting patients for lab tests and drawing blood, the report says. A survey of VA nurse executives found a lack of other staffers around all the time to do things like housekeeping. That drives down nurse morale and makes retention difficult.

Work-life balance is also an issue. Back in 2004, Congress gave the VA legal authority to offer “alternate work schedules” to nurses — a 36-hour work week comprised of three 12-hour shifts (paid at a 40-hour rate), or the chance to work full-time for nine months and take three months off, for 75% year-round pay. But these options are rarely actually available to nurses. “Flexible” work schedules — like eight 10-hour shifts in a two-week period — are also extremely limited.