New Jersey Union Veterans Council forms its ranks
Chairman Don Dileo of the Union Veterans Council, sponsored by the New Jersey State AFL-CIO, addresses the kickoff meeting of the council’s steering meeting Jan. 15, 2020, in Trenton, New Jersey. Dileo is a Trenton resident.
New Jersey Union Veterans Council forms its ranks
Garden State union members who served our nation in the armed forces have a new group fighting for them: The Union Veterans Council, sponsored by the New Jersey State AFL-CIO.
The Council’s steering committee, representing all sectors of organized labor in the state, met Jan. 15, 2020, to exchange ideas and list their shared concerns about the welfare of veterans.
Committee members from all over the state, who gathered at AFL-CIO headquarters in Trenton, agreed with the results of a national poll of union veterans that the No. 1 issue is lowering the suicide rate among those who served. Some 17 veterans commit suicide every day, according to the latest statistics from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs.
In coming weeks, the Council will be developing action plans to deal with suicides and other key issues, including unemployment, transitioning from military to civilian life, ensuring that veterans receive all the benefits they’re due, and helping veterans cope with PTSD and other stresses – which veterans understand because they are a band of brothers … and sisters.
The Council also is planning holiday observances for those who rallied ’round the flag proudly.
The mission of the New Jersey Union Veterans Council is to reach out to veterans from every era to strengthen their union ties and to speak out on issues that affect working-class veterans, especially the need for good, well-paying jobs and a VA that has the staff and the money to care for all who put their lives on the line for America. The Council will work to help engage, educate and mobilize our veterans community.
The Union Veterans Council will make sure that when elected officials and companies call themselves “pro-union” and “pro-veteran,” they say it – and act – truthfully.
