Published 06 Aug, 2014
Today marks Day 2 of the TWU Veterans Committee’s three-day conference, taking place at the Local 100 union hall in Brooklyn, NY. The summit aims to unify and empower TWU veterans of the armed forces and support the development of veterans committee groups at our locals across the country.
Elected officials, including NYS Senator Martin Golden; representatives from the NYC VA; TWU leadership; and activists will be addressing TWU vets on a range of advocacy and education issues. Workshops, trainings, and information sessions form the backbone of the conference — with the goal of ensuring that our veterans are prepared and ready to carry out the mission of the TWUVC: to serve and support all veterans and their families.
“The response from our TWU veterans here has been wonderful,” said TWU International Representative and TWUVC Liaison Jose Galarza. “Everyone was motivated, they were seeking information and hungry to get involved politically.”
This is TWUVC’s first large-scale meeting since its official formation in March, after the TWU ATD Veterans Committee leadership voted unanimously at its March 20th meeting to expand the committee to accept as members TWU servicemen from all four of our union’s Divisions — Transit, Rail, Air and Gaming. This move was made in order to reflect the TWU’s renewed commitment to unity, to strengthen and grow the committee, and to better adhere to its mission.
“What we’re doing here is solidifying and commencing the integration of what used to be the ATD Veterans Committee with the local veterans committees in all of the Divisions,” said Galarza.
“Local 100 has been concentrating on a legislative agenda with its veterans. The Committee, as it existed before, had been focusing more on giving back, fundraising, and service projects. We want to network and put everything together so that everything we do as veterans has the greatest impact.”
In recent weeks, a series of scandals at the US Department of Veterans Affairs has spurred national discussion about how America treats its veterans — and what we can do to ensure our servicemen get the support they need. TWUVC’s number one concern is to advocate for TWU members and do everything possible to protect our veterans and their rights, from the bargaining table to Capitol Hill.
TWU International leadership asks that all of our veterans connect with the TWU Veterans Committee and encourages all locals to communicate with members about the important work that TWUVC does and the need for all of our vets to get involved.
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ARE YOU A VETERAN? Click here to register with our TWU Veterans Committee and sign up for news/action alerts.
Learn more about the TWU Veterans Committee: Click here to visit the Committee website.
Contact the Committee: Click here to email TWU International Representative and Vets Committee Liaison Jose Galarza.