The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 31 and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are pleased to announce the resolution of the Environmental Differential Pay (EDP) grievance filed against the VA.
The settlement stems from a grievance filed by AFGE Local 31, led by President Darryll Bell, asserting that the VA violated relevant laws and regulations by failing to provide Environmental Differential Pay to housekeeping employees exposed to various workplace hazards. The grievance highlighted that hundreds of employees were entitled to premium pay due to their exposure to specific risks, including blood, feces, and other hazardous medical waste.
The majority of the settlement proceeds will be distributed to eligible individuals by the Class Action Implementation Group (CAIG), a company responsible for administering class action claims. Eligibility and payment amounts have been determined based on several factors and data provided to AFGE Local 31 by the VA.
The distribution process is expected to take several months. Updates will be published on the Settlement Updates page of this site.
If you have received email notification from CAIG containing your login information, please visit the CAIG online portal and log in to access your details.
AFGE Local 31 was represented in this grievance by the law firm Snider & Associates, LLC, which has resolved many similar cases against federal government agencies nationwide.