Historic Meeting Confirms White House Partnership With Union Veterans Council
Collective Commitment to Veteran Care and Employment
August 26, 2024
The AFL-CIO’s Union Veterans Council (UVC) made history on July 9, 2024, by leading a large-scale delegation of union veteran workers to the White House. This historical event highlighted the critical role of union veterans in projects such as the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, made possible by the Biden administration’s pro-worker and pro-labor policies. The APWU’s very own National Veterans, Guard, and Reservist Information Specialist (VGRIS) Robert “Bob” La Foe, represented the APWU veterans’ membership at this historical White House Meeting.
Throughout the meeting, attendees had the opportunity to hear from multiple veterans’ organizations and agencies, while also engaging in direct dialogue with senior White House staff, including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough, who admitted the VA healthcare system is seriously damaged and a work in progress to repair. He is humbly seeking the help of the UVC and other American veterans’ organizations in finding the solutions needed to correct the damage. These interactions demonstrated that the Biden-Harris administration is dedicated to addressing the needs and concerns of union veterans. More meetings were promised soon. Join us, it’s easy: unionveterans.org ■