St. Cloud VA labor and management conclude mediation

The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service issued a joint statement late Thursday from representatives of labor and management at the St. Cloud VA Medical Center announcing that they have concluded training, fulfilling an agreement made after members of Congress questioned the facility's work environment.

Mediators, representatives from the American Federation of Government Employees and managers at the St. Cloud VA participated in exercises, classroom-style instruction and discussions designed to reduce labor-management conflict and improve cooperation.

Union and management officials had their first round of meetings with the FMCS during mid-January in Minneapolis. The training resumed Tuesday and, according to the statement, the sides have "jointly developed several objectives to help rekindle a productive and cooperative working relationship."

Union and VA: Mediation has been 'beneficial'

Objectives include increased labor-management training, enhanced employee recognition, a focused effort to jointly assess and utilize employee feedback, improved communication throughout the organization, and an emphasis on collaboration before decisions are made.

For each objective, action plans have been established and assessments are planned to ensure they are achieved. FMCS will continue to advise the St. Cloud VA team.

FMCS Commissioner Darlene Voltin said in the statement the training was "beneficial to the organization, and we’ve seen real and positive change.”

AFGE Local 390 President Shirley Parker Blommel said in the statement “a good working relationship is important to achieving our mission.”

St. Cloud VA Director Barry Bahl said in the statement that ensuring a quality work environment for employees is "critical" to taking care of veterans.

Congressmen Tom Emmer and Tim Walz visited St. Cloud in October and announced legislation to require the VA to release all inspector general reports. A 2013 inspector general's investigation found problems with the St. Cloud VA work environment but the information was not immediately made public.

Legion visits VA to assess concerns

In December, Washington officials with the American Legion visited St. Cloud to meet with veterans, employees and VA officials and are preparing an after-action report. Expected early in 2016, the report will be distributed to Congress, VA officials, and posted at www.legion.org/systemworthsaving. As of Thursday, the expected report had not been published.

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