Walter Reed Workers to Vote on Union

More than 100 Department of Public Works workers at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC) will vote in a union certification election, reports the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 99 who filed an election petition on behalf of the workers last Wednesday. The workers work under a government contract for IAP Worldwide Services, a private company that took over facilities management operations for government employees this February – only a few months before the Walter Reed scandal broke. IUOE 99 has also called on IAP Worldwide Services to voluntarily recognize the union since a majority of workers have already signed union authorization cards with IUOE 99. This organizing drive has given WRAMC Public Works employees a chance to gain “important protections, a chance to advocate for better wages, health and welfare benefits and voice on the job,” says IUOE 99 Business Manager Mike Murphy. Walter Reed Army Medical Center (WRAMC), photo from the WRAMC website