‘We are not protected.’ Biloxi VA workers protest for additional PPE, hazard pay
Early Tuesday morning, masked protesters lined the sidewalk along Pass Road at the entrance gate of the Biloxi VA Medical Center.
“Protect veterans and VA staff,” read signs held by a group of 10-15 people chanting and cheering at honks from passing cars on Tuesday morning.
The group was made up of Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System employees, including members of the American Federation of Government Employees union. They said they are not equipped with adequate personal protection equipment (PPE) and have been left in the dark as cases of COVID-19 have broken out in the Biloxi facility.
The Biloxi VA distributed an internal memo listing five positive cases in early April, including three employees, one veteran being treated in Biloxi and one who died from the virus.
“We’re trying to get a clearer understanding of what’s going on,” primary care worker Samantha Harper told the Sun Herald. “We have to protect the veterans and the employees... . We need better communication to know what steps we need to take.”
One of the biggest immediate issues among the workers is the lack of PPE to protect themselves from exposure.
“We are given one mask, per person, per week. It is unacceptable,” said Alicia Walker-Smith, a Navy veteran and AFGE union member. “We are on the front lines protecting our veterans. Not being given the proper PPE is putting everyone at risk.”
Harper has a son she comes home to every day. She worries If they are not given the proper protection that she could expose him.
“He has preexisting conditions,” Harper said. “It’s scary. We need this to not just protect ourselves but our families as well.”
“I’m a veteran myself so I’m passionate about these concerns. This is unfair,” Walker-Smith said. “The VA needs to take care of it’s workers and its veterans.”
The workers are also fighting for hazard pay and expanding tele-work to allow more employees to work remotely.
“We are not protected at our jobs,” Walker-Smith said.
The Sun Herald reached out to Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System public affairs specialist Bruce Cummings about these concerns. He provided the following statement:
“As America deals with COVID-19, the Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System has proactively implemented appropriate measures to ensure the safest health care environment for each Veteran, employee, and visitor.
“These measures include multi-channel outreach to Veterans and staff and clinical screening at VA health care facilities. The Biloxi VA is equipped with essential items and supplies, and we are continually monitoring the status of those items to ensure a robust supply chain.
“The Biloxi VA is using PPE in accordance with CDC guidelines, and all employees have the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment, as per those guidelines. Biloxi VA staff are performing amazingly well during this challenging time. We thank and salute those on the front lines of this battle.”
The AFGE is pushing to have multiple provisions included on future legislation to help protect VA workers on the front lines nation-wide. That includes:
- Labor-management relations to communicate as agencies work to implement new polices and procedures
- Hazardous duty pay for those required to work and risk exposure to COVID-19
- Adequate resource of PPE
- Weather and safety leave to those who cannot work because of health and safety risks
- Tele-work to allow all employees who can work from home to work remotely to minimize spreading
- Federal Employee Benefits program enrollment opportunity to be considered a “qualifying life event” to allow federal employees without insurance to enroll in a healthcare plan and allow changes to current plans.
This story was originally published April 14, 2020 at 3:38 PM.