VCU Health, Richmond VA Medical Center workers push for change amid layoffs

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Richmond unions are pushing to protect hospital workers amid ongoing federal job cuts and layoffs, with some progress being made.

"This is just the start," said Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health environmental service cleaner Johnny Johnson.

Johnson is one of 400 VCU Health cleaners who ratified a union contract through SEIU 32BJ. This comes as employees at the Richmond Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, who were laid off, could be returning to their jobs soon.

"They just can’t walk in and say, ‘You’re fired, you got to go or you’re laid off’," Johnson said. "We got a voice."

The VCU Health contract provides protection against wrongful termination, ensures that senior workers are prioritized and includes a $3.30 hourly raise. Workers were only making $15 an hour before, he said.

"It's not so much just the money -- it's the ability to have a voice now," Johnson said. "We are a very important [people] ... the front line of defense. Without us, the hospital doesn't run."

As workers across the country face job cuts and layoffs, especially federal employees, Johnson said the contract was a special victory.

"Everybody was joyful this morning when I came in and say, 'Hey, we won. You know, we got a win,'" he said.

Employees at the Richmond VA Medical Center are also receiving good news.

"We have employees now that are supposed to be placed on this roll to receive administrative leave from the federal government," said Mintina Minto, president of Local 2145.

She said a judge ordered President Donald Trump's administration to reinstate employees who were laid off without notice due to cuts through the Department of Government Affairs (DOGE). In Richmond, 40 VA workers were fired because of this.

Minto said administrative leave with pay is better than nothing, but the fight isn't over.

"We have nurses leave the bedside now, taking care of our veterans to go down to get supplies," Minto said. "We don't have the manpower even to deliver the supplies within our facility. So it's just causing more chaos when we could have brought the employees back in."

She said it's unclear when administrative leave will begin, but the union is organizing a protest to demand that employees return to work. This story will be updated with details on that protest when we receive them.=