WASHINGTON, D.C. — April Verrett, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), issued the following statement in response to the Trump Administration cutting all union contracts with Veterans Affairs (VA) workers, stripping labor protections for more than 400,000 workers:

“Working people have no illusions about what just happened at the Department of Veterans Affairs: By cutting off union contracts, the Trump Administration has launched a disgusting attack on working people and veterans everywhere that we will not forget or forgive.

SEIU's 2 million members stand in solidarity with the brave veterans and public servants who have dedicated their lives to caring for those who have served our country. That includes members who are nurses, janitors and security officers who are a part of our union, many of whom are veterans themselves. We stand in solidarity with our union siblings who represent VA workers across the labor movement.

Generations of union workers at the VA fought for strong union contracts that gave them a voice on the job to advocate for better working conditions and better outcomes for our nation's veterans. Canceling union contracts at the VA is a clear attempt to silence public workers and their unions who have spoken out against this administration’s policies.

Working people will hold the Trump administration accountable for this action and every move they have made to undermine our unions, rip away our healthcare, and dismantle public services to put more money in the pockets of billionaires and corporations. We won't back down and we won't be silent.”

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