In honor of Veterans Day, veteran and executive secretary of the Union Veterans Council, Will Attig, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about the Union Veterans Council, his experience with Helmets to Hardhats and opportunities available to veterans in the labor movement.
Over 1.3 million veterans are currently members of unions. Many veterans have found homes in unions thanks to help from a variety of organizations, Attig said. The Union Veterans Council helps create projects and programs to support veterans and their communities. Attig said that many veterans make less than $31,000/year, and the Union Veterans Council is fighting for veterans to receive better wages, healthcare and retirement benefits.
Despite so many veterans underpaid, they still make more than 10 percent of the general population. Similar to issues faced by the general population, addiction and mental health problems that go unchecked are the leading factors contributing to veterans being stuck in low-wage jobs. Amongst this demographic, several veterans struggle with suicide, and Attig wants to provide the information and tools available for these veterans to seek out help.
When Attig was working to transition out of the military, he was lost with the decisions he had available. He eventually found an alternative to going to college, he connected with the Helmets to Hardhats program which led him to the United Association, becoming a member of UA Local 160. Attig discussed all the programs available to veterans by various union organizations. He encouraged all veterans to consider their position in life and if needed, seek assistance to improve their standing. For more information on programs available to veterans, please visit unionveterans.org.
To hear more from Attig and the work he does with Veterans, please listen to the show above.
America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.
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