Blumenthal, Murphy & Colleagues Introduce Bill to Empower & Protect VA Health Care Workers & Patients

[HARTFORD, CT] – Today, U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and Chris Murphy (D-CT) joined colleagues in re-introducing legislation that would help right a long-term wrong curtailing Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) employees’ collective bargaining rights. Our nation’s devoted VA workers, including nurses and physicians, deserve the same rights as the countless other dedicated VA staff providing care and benefits to our veterans every day.  The VA Employee Fairness Act would empower VA health care professionals with the similar rights as their community provider counterparts to utilize their roles to improve staffing ratios, patient care, and more.

“It has never been more important to give VA healthcare workers the opportunity to fight for better working conditions in order to provide the best possible care for veterans. With the entire VA workforce under attack from the Trump Administration, recruiting and retaining the very best doctors, nurses, and health care support staff is a challenge – but one we can meet with better, stronger workplace protections,” said Blumenthal. “Simply put: VA healthcare workers who have chosen to serve our nation’s veterans deserve the same opportunity to organize and collectively bargain for better pay, benefits, and working conditions that their VA colleagues have.”

“Our veterans deserve the best care possible, and that starts with treating VA health care workers with dignity and respect,” said Murphy. “This bill gives nurses and doctors the tools they need to advocate for safe staffing and provide better care, just like their colleagues in the private sector.”

The VA Employee Fairness Act would improve collective bargaining rights to VA health care professionals, including nurses, physicians, and others and ensure they share the same rights as other VA clinicians and employees. Currently, Title 38 of United States Code restricts the ability of these workers to speak freely and negotiate matters of professional conduct or competence, changes to employee compensation, and more. This means they lack ability to substantively put pressure on leadership regarding staffing shortages that negatively impact patient care or negotiating pay to improve recruitment and retention of understaffed health care positions.  

The legislation is led by U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Mark Takano (D-CA-39) and also cosponsored in the Senate by U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Patty Murray (D-WA).

The legislation is endorsed by National Nurses United (NNU), the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), American Federation of Labor (AFL), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), National Association of Government Employees (NAGE), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), VoteVets and Union Veterans Council of AFL-CIO.

Blumenthal has led the charge to oppose cuts to essential health care and benefits for veterans and the reckless firings of VA employees. Blumenthal introduced the Putting Veterans First Act, comprehensive legislation to protect veterans, military spouses, and VA employees indiscriminately targeted in the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) cuts at VA and across the federal government.

The bill text of the VA Employee Fairness Act is available here.

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