|
Police Officers: Pay and Grade Information
AFGE NAVC met before congress to discuss pay and grade issues with VA Police staff. (see video attached)
Former Chief of Police Crawford at the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center met with AFGE leaders to address the serious concerns surrounding proposed downgrades to police grades, pay inequities, and the dangerous ripple effect these actions could have on the safety and security of veterans, employees, and visitors nationwide.
Let us be clear: downgrading police officers is not just a pay issue — it is a safety issue. VA Police officers stand on the front lines every day, protecting those who served our nation, responding to crises, preventing violence, and ensuring a safe environment for patient care. Any effort to reduce grades or weaken the profession undermines recruitment, retention, morale, and ultimately the level of protection our veterans and workforce deserve.
We extend special recognition and sincere appreciation to the officers who stood strong, spoke up, and advocated for the integrity of their profession. Your voices matter. Your advocacy matters. Your commitment to protecting veterans and employees matters.
It is our expectation that these concerns were heard and that police grades remain unchanged. Stability in grade structure is essential to maintaining a professional police force capable of meeting the growing safety challenges facing VA facilities across the nation.
Our next step is clear: we will continue advocating for a meaningful pay increase for VA Police officers at the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center and throughout VISN 8. Competitive pay is not optional — it is necessary to recruit qualified officers, retain experienced professionals, and maintain appropriate staffing levels to ensure the safety of every veteran, employee, and visitor who enters a VA facility.
Protecting those who protected our country must remain a national priority. VA Police officers deserve compensation that reflects the risks they face, the responsibilities they carry, and the critical role they play in safeguarding our nation’s heroes.
In Solidarity,
Cynthia Boston-Thompson
Download:
|
