Union Veterans Council, AFL-CIO

06/01/2026

This Pride Month, the Union Veterans Council, AFL-CIO, is proud to stand in solidarity with all LGBTQ+ veterans who have served and sacrificed for our nation. 🏳️‍🌈
​Service knows no orientation. Our mission has always been to support every veteran, and that includes ensuring a welcoming, inclusive, and equitable environment for our LGBTQ+ brothers, sisters, and siblings. We honor your courage, your dedication to duty, and the unique perspectives you bring to our unions and our communities.
​Let's celebrate the diversity of our heroes and the progress we've made, while recommitting to the work that still remains to ensure true equality and dignity for all who serve.
​ AFL-CIO

05/22/2026

As we head into the Memorial Day weekend, we stand on the threshold of a sacred time of remembrance. For many, this weekend is a time for family, barbecues, and a welcome break from the workweek. But for the labor movement and the veteran community, it demands that we pause to honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation.

As a proud U.S. Army veteran, I know that behind every name carved into a monument or marked by a flag in a cemetery is a story of profound love for country and community.

But our duty to the fallen does not end when the weekend concludes. The most powerful way we can honor those who died protecting our democracy is by fiercely protecting the working-class people they left behind. So many of our fallen heroes came from working-class families—from our union halls, our construction sites, our utility plants, and our public services. They put their lives on the line for a promise that their sacrifice would ensure a better, freer world for their families.

True remembrance requires action. As we go into this weekend, the Union Veterans Council, AFL-CIO, recommits to fighting for the living—for the gold star families, the working veterans, and the civilian workers who carry the legacy of service every single day.

We honor the dead by fighting like hell for the living, ensuring that the dignity, freedoms, and labor rights they died to defend are protected right here at home.

Have a safe, meaningful, and reflective Memorial Day weekend. Solidarity forever.

— Craig Romanovich

Executive Director, Union Veterans Council, AFL-CIO

05/21/2026

🚨 ALERT: Stop the Hidden Tax on Veteran Homeowners! 🚨

Right now, Congress is moving a bill to the House floor called H.R. 6047. While the Union Veterans Council, AFL-CIO 100% supports the long-overdue $10,000 raise it gives to our most catastrophically injured heroes and Gold Star families, we are STRONGLY OPPOSING the backroom accounting politicians are using to pay for it.
Instead of funding this out of the federal budget, the current floor version plan nearly TRIPLES the fee on veteran homeowners trying to lower their monthly mortgage payments through a VA refinance (IRRRL)—skyrocketing the cost from 0.5% to 1.42%.

For working-class veteran families fighting to stay in their homes in a brutal housing market, this "hidden tax" adds thousands of dollars in upfront costs, wiping out an entire year’s worth of mortgage savings.

We cannot treat veteran benefits as a zero-sum game. Caring for our wounded heroes is a national obligation that belongs in general appropriations—not a debt to be recycled within our own community by "balance-billing" other veterans.

⚠️ CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TODAY: Tell them you support our wounded warriors and survivors, but they must vote NO on H.R. 6047 until the predatory home loan fee hikes are stripped out.

📞 House Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
💬 Your Message: "I am a constituent and a veteran. Tell the Representative to pass a CLEAN H.R. 6047. Do not balance the budget by tripling VA refinance fees on veteran homeowners."
💻 Find your Rep: www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

05/18/2026

🚨 COURT RULING: The U.S. Court of Appeals has upheld the preliminary injunction ordering the VA to restore the AFGE master union contract! ⚖️
This unanimous decision is a major victory for the 320,000+ frontline VA employees who care for our veterans. You cannot illegally tear up a union contract, and you cannot silence workers who speak up for accountability and high-quality patient care.
The Union Veterans Council, AFL-CIO salutes AFGE for their relentless fight. When we fight, we win!
Leave a ✊ below to stand with our VA workers!
— Craig Romanovich, Executive Director, UVC
AFGE AFL-CIO

The First Circuit Court of Appeals, in a unanimous decision, upheld the preliminary injunction reinstating the largest collective bargaining agreement for VA employees. The First Circuit has denied the VA's plea for an emergency stay; as a result, the preliminary injunction granted to the NVAC by Judge DuBose on March 13th, 2026, stays in place. This is a milestone worth recognizing and a reminder that when we stand together, we can make a difference for VA employees and U.S. veterans everywhere.

In their decision denying the VA’s emergency motion to stay the preliminary injunction, the three-judge panel stated,

“[T]he defendants have not shown that the preliminary injunction likely was issued in error. Accordingly, we must separately account for the public's interest in the CBA – which is provided for and governed by federal law – being kept in place as a binding agreement until lawfully terminated.

“The defendants have not made the requisite ‘strong showing’ in their stay motion that they are likely to succeed in challenging the preliminary injunction in their pending appeal. Nor have they shown that staying that injunction in the interim would not cause substantial injury to the plaintiffs or the public.”

05/18/2026

The Union Veterans Council stands 100% with the 3,500 LIRR workers holding the picket line. ✊🚂

For a lot of transitioning service members, a union rail job is exactly how they build a stable, middle-class civilian life after the military. The MTA trying to force massive healthcare premium hikes on new hires directly threatens that stability.

No one wants to strike, but these workers were backed into a corner by management refusing to offer a contract that actually keeps up with inflation. Trying to blame the workers for the shutdown is a tired tactic.

Veterans know exactly what it means to hold the line, and we’ve got your backs.

Governor Hochul and the MTA need to drop the corporate greed, get back to the table, and deliver the fair contract these workers earned.

05/16/2026

Today is Armed Forces Day, and the Union Veterans Council, AFL-CIO is saluting the brave men and women currently serving in the U.S. Military. 🎖️

From the shop floor to the front lines, union veterans understand what it means to serve a cause greater than ourselves. Today, we honor the courage, sacrifice, and dedication of our active-duty service members.

Join us in thanking our troops for keeping us safe! Drop a comment below to honor an active-duty service member in your life. 👇

05/07/2026

The labor movement and our veteran community have lost a true pioneer. We mourn the passing of John Vento, former Secretary-Treasurer of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and a dedicated WWII veteran.

John didn’t just witness history; he built it. After serving his country in uniform, he spent decades serving working families across the Commonwealth. He understood better than most that the bond between military service and union solidarity is unbreakable.

One of John's proudest moments in recent years was seeing that bond grow. In 2018, he was a driving force and a passionate supporter when the Allegheny/Fayette CLC chartered the second-ever chapter of the Union Veterans Council. He knew that giving veterans a seat at the table in their local labor councils was essential for the future of our movement.

John was a mentor, a brother, and a patriot who never stopped fighting for the "little guy." We carry his mission forward in everything we do.

Rest in peace, Brother Vento. We have the watch from here. 🇺🇸✊

Allegheny/Fayette Union Veterans Council Pennsylvania AFL-CIO AFL-CIO

05/01/2026

Service didn’t end when we took off the uniform.

This , the Union Veterans Council is proud to stand at the intersection of the labor movement and the veteran community. We know that when workers win, veterans win.

Let’s keep building an economy that respects our sweat, our sacrifice, and our families.

AFL-CIO

04/28/2026

Today, on Workers Memorial Day, the Union Veterans Council, AFL-CIO, joins our brothers and sisters across the labor movement to honor those who have been injured, made ill, or lost their lives on the job.

​For many of us in the veteran community, the concept of "service and sacrifice" is deeply personal. We’ve worn the uniform abroad, and we continue to serve our country in the civilian workforce—on construction sites, in hospitals, on the shop floor, and in our communities. No worker should have to risk their life to make a living.
​This year’s theme reminds us that safety isn't just about physical hazards; it’s about the psychological well-being and mental health of every worker. Veterans know better than most that the "invisible wounds" of a high-stress, unsafe workplace are just as dangerous as any physical threat.

​Why We Fight:
​To Honor the Fallen: We remember those who didn't return home at the end of their shift.

​To Protect the Living: We demand stronger safety standards and an end to the deregulation that puts corporate profits over human lives.

​To Empower the Workforce: A union contract is the best safety equipment a worker can have.

​As veterans, we took an oath to leave no one behind. We carry that same mission into the workplace. Today, we reaffirm our commitment to holding employers and elected officials accountable.
​An injury to one is an injury to all.

02/20/2026

Victory is within sight, but the fight isn’t over. ✊🇺🇸

Following a massive wave of pressure from our and other veteran orgs, the VA has announced they will halt enforcement of the rule that would lower disability ratings based on medication use.

While we appreciate Secretary Collins listening to our concerns, a "pause" is just a delay. We aren’t looking for a temporary truce; we are demanding a full retreat. As long as this rule exists, our brothers and sisters are one policy memo away from losing their earned benefits.

Our demand is simple: Rescind the rule. Remove it from the books. Protect the promise. You can make a public comment at this link to demand the rule be fully removed: https://www.regulations.gov/commenton/VA-2026-VBA-0067-0001?link_id=0&can_id=feb9710c8e211ff7c3b8a2a9efa12289&source=email-a-pause-is-not-a-victory-demand-the-full-removal-of-the-va-medication-rule&email_referrer=&email_subject=a-pause-is-not-a-victory-nil-demand-the-full-removal-of-the-va-medication-rule&&

Stay united. We don’t stop until this rule is dead and buried.