Union Veterans, VA Workers Rally Against Secretary Doug Collins’ Staffing Cuts at San Francisco VA

Contacts:
Chris Robledo | Chris.Robledo@federalunionists.net
Marjorie Molmen | marjoriemolmen@gmail.com 

‘SAVE OUR VA, STOP THE CUTS’

SAN FRANCISCO— Members of National Federation of Federal Employees Local 1, which represents nurses, social workers, psychologists, pharmacists, rehabilitation therapists and other health care professionals at the San Francisco VA Health Care System, along with frontline VA workers and community allies, will rally Wednesday, Jan. 14, at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) to oppose sweeping staffing cuts and call on Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins to reverse the reductions and fully fund veterans’ health care.

Beginning this month, under the leadership of Secretary Collins and national VA management, the Department of Veterans Affairs has begun cutting up to 37,000 vacant positions nationwide—including more than 157 critical roles at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and outpatient clinics across the Bay Area. While labeled “vacant,” workers and veterans warn these cuts will immediately translate into longer wait times, heavier patient loads, reduced services, and increased safety risks for veterans who rely on the VA for care.

At the rally, veterans and health care professionals will share firsthand accounts of how the staffing cuts threaten access to care, undermine the VA’s training mission, and accelerate a shift toward privatization that could permanently weaken the VA health care system.

“The VA provides incredibly high-quality, low-cost health care for veterans and their families, and this administration is taking a chainsaw to it,” said Mark Smith, president of NFFE Local 1. “There is simply no plausible scenario in which arbitrarily cutting 37,000 health care positions across the VA—including more than 157 front-line clinical roles at the San Francisco VA—won’t impact care, as has been claimed. We are calling on VA leadership and the Trump administration to put veterans first by reversing these cuts, fully funding and staffing VA health care, and restoring collective bargaining rights for VA health care workers.”

Veterans who rely on the VA for care say the cuts break a fundamental promise made to those who served.

“VA health care matters to me because it is part of the promise this country makes to the people it sends to war,” said Oscar Arbulu, a veteran and member of Common Defense. “As veterans, we have already done the fighting overseas, and many of us are now fighting at home for voting rights, for the safety of our communities, and for a more just democracy. The last thing veterans should have to fight for is access to quality health care we were promised. A strong, fully funded VA is not charity—it is accountability.”

Suzanne Gordon, award-winning journalist and co-founder of the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute, warned that the cuts could have devastating consequences for veterans nationwide.

“The idea that you can send millions of very sick, vulnerable veterans into a collapsing private-sector health care system is magical thinking at best and criminally reckless at worst,” Gordon said. “We need to expand, not dismantle, the VA—the best health care system in the country.”

EVENT DETAILS

WHAT: Rally and press conference opposing staffing cuts at the San Francisco VA and calling for reinvestment in veterans’ health care

WHEN: Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026 | 12:00–12:30 p.m. PT

WHERE:
San Francisco VA Medical Center
Corner of 42nd Avenue and Clement Street
San Francisco, CA 94121

WHO:

• Mark Smith, an occupational therapist and health educator and president of NFFE Local 1

• Suzanne Gordon, an award-winning journalist and author and co-founder and senior policy analyst at the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute

• Oscar Arbulu, veteran and Common Defense member

• Veterans who rely on San Francisco VA care

• Community and labor advocates, including Common Defense and Veterans for Peace

• Dozens of union members and allies

SPEAKER BIOS:

Mark Smith is an occupational therapist and health educator and president of National Federation of Federal Employees Local 1. He represents registered nurses, social workers, psychologists, physical and occupational therapists, pharmacists and other health care professionals at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and nine VA outpatient clinics across the Bay Area. Smith has worked in veterans health care for 12 years and advocates for safe staffing, high-quality care and protecting the VA’s public mission.

Suzanne Gordon is an award-winning journalist and author who writes about health care delivery, patient safety, nursing and veterans’ health care. She is co-founder and a senior policy analyst at the Veterans Healthcare Policy Institute. Gordon is the author of more than 20 books, including Our Veterans: Winners, Losers, Friends and Enemies on the New Terrain of Veterans Affairs (Duke University Press, 2022) and Wounds of War: How the VA Delivers Health, Healing, and Hope to the Nation’s Veterans (Cornell University Press). She has received the Disabled American Veterans Special Recognition Award for her reporting on veterans’ health care, and her work has appeared in outlets including The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, The Nation and JAMA. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Oscar Arbulu is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served from 1999 to 2005 and a member of Common Defense. He is a senior campaign staffer in San Francisco and previously worked in a congressional office helping veterans navigate federal systems. Arbulu has also advocated for the return of veterans who were unjustly deported. He brings both lived experience and policy insight to efforts to protect and strengthen the Department of Veterans Affairs and ensure veterans receive the care and dignity they earned.

MEDIA AVAILABILITY

Press availability with veterans, frontline VA workers, and all speakers will follow immediately after the event. To schedule interviews, contact Chris Robledo or Marjorie Molmen.

About NFFE Local 1
National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) Local 1 represents more than 1,300 health care workers at the San Francisco VA Health Care System, including nurses, pharmacists, social workers, psychologists, and other professionals delivering care to veterans. NFFE is affiliated with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW).

About the Federal Unionists Network
The Federal Unionists Network (FUN) is a national movement of federal workers and allies working in coalition to defend public services and rebuild government for a more democratic, equitable, and just country.