Milwaukee veteran among 10 federal workers fired from Zablocki VA Medical Center

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The National American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is suing the federal government after thousands of federal employees were fired from their positions. The cuts are happening nationwide in a variety of government agencies and workers in the Milwaukee area are impacted, some of them veterans.

This week, more than 1,400 federal employees were let go from their jobs across the country, including at Zablocki VA Medical Center where 10 federal workers were fired.

James Stancil is an Army veteran. He worked as a supply tech at Zablocki, organizing and delivering tools to nurses and doctors working with patients.

When he showed up to start his work week, he learned he no longer had a job. He says his department was already short staffed.

"Those rooms that we're supposed to staff supplies with, now you guys have more work to do and less people," he said.

The cuts at the medical center are part of larger cuts coming down from the Trump administration. Stancil says he's most upset about the reason he was given in his termination notice.

He was told it was over his performance. The letter read in part, "Unfortunately the agency finds that your performance has not met the burden to demonstrate that your further employment at the agency would be in the public interest."

Stancil said that was a slap in the face because he'd never had a poor performance review. He was still within his one-year probationary period with the VA, which is standard. AFGE, the union that represents Stancil and other employees, said most of those fired nationwide were workers still under probationary status.

Robert Maddox is the AFGE Local 3 Vice President and a veteran himself. He says the termination reason listen in Stancil's letter is a blatant lie. "To say that they're not doing their job. It's like a kick in the pants," he said.

Maddox says Stancil's manager has even said he's a great employee. Stancil is one of three veterans fired this week from Zablocki, according to the union.

Now, there are concerns about what the cuts could mean for veteran's resources moving forward. "The VA has been severely understaffed for at least the last five years and to terminate employees is just to greater burden the employees that show up every day," said Maddox.

There had been concerns all week about federal layoffs and the impact it could have locally for veterans and other services in the area.

CBS 58 reached out to officials at Zablocki VA Medical Center but multiple requests for comment went unanswered.