The United Steelworkers Union announced they support the creation of a bill that would help increase veterans’ access to various resources, which was sponsored by an Indiana senator.
“I’m proud to join my colleagues and American steelworkers in backing this common-sense, bipartisan effort to ensure veterans can easily access information about their benefits and crisis resources in their workplaces,” Sen. Jim Banks, R-Indiana, said in a statement.
If passed, the Thomas M. Conway Veterans Access to Resources in the Workplace Act would require federal agencies to create posters that provide information on how to access a mental health crisis line, Veterans Administration health care, and educational, legal, housing and other services. The posters would be displayed in workplaces with at least 50 employees.
“Research shows that when veterans are connected to the benefits and services available to them, outcomes improve and suicide rates decline,” USW President David McCall said in a news release.
The legislation has received bipartisan support, according to the USW, and similar legislation exists in 15 states, including New York, where the union helped advocate for the bill.
In addition to Banks, various legislators sponsor the bill, including Reps. Chris Deluzio, D-Pennsylvania; Nick LaLota, R-New York; and Sen. Angus King, D-Maine.
Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, stated, “I commend the leadership of Rep. Deluzio and my fellow Congressional colleagues for their bipartisan, bicameral approach to support our veterans and honor former USW President Tom Conway. I am proud to support this measure and will continue doing everything I can to ensure our veterans are aware of and able to access the benefits they have earned.”
The legislation is named after Thomas Conway, who was USW’s eighth international president and died at 71 years old on Sept. 25, 2023.
McCall said the union proudly supports the legislation and said it “honors the life and legacy” of Conway, who he called “a veteran, a leader and a tireless advocate for working people.”
“Tom Conway never forgot where he came from,” McCall said. “He understood the unique challenges facing working-class veterans and created the USW’s Veterans of Steel program in response to the growing crisis of veteran suicide. His vision continues to inspire us today, and this bill is a fitting tribute to his commitment to those who served.”
USW urges swift action for passage of the legislation, McCall said, adding that veterans have already done their job for the country and legislators must do theirs.
The legislation comes less than one year after President Donald Trump’s administration’s plans to cut 80,000 VA jobs leaked. VA Chief of Staff Christopher Syrek, in an internal memo, told the agency’s top level officials that it plans to cut enough employees to return to 2019 staffing levels of just under 400,000, according to Post-Tribune archives.
mwilkins@chicagotribune.com