VA proposes firing three in alleged case of harassment
Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System is proposing to fire three employees at its Oakland hospital and impose lesser discipline on four other employees for their alleged roles in an employee harassment case, the VA said Thursday.
The employees, none of whom has been identified, allegedly harassed a plumber for a week, including tying him up with duct tape.
The Pittsburgh VA employee told a supervisor June 11 that fellow employees had been harassing him in his work area, the VA said.
The supervisor told the employee to tell VA Police, who are now investigating.
The VA’s Office of Inspector General was also notified, and the Pittsburgh VA brought in human resource consultants from the regional office “to determine the broader context surrounding the incidents,” the VA said.
The Pittsburgh VA on Thursday would not reveal further details but said the recommended discipline was based on the initial investigation.
“I can’t get into specifics because we don’t want to influence the process,” said Pittsburgh VA spokesman Don Manuszewski.
All seven employees — two more than the VA initially said were involved — will be able to contest the proposed discipline, which could include demotion, suspension, reprimand or admonishment.
The union representing the employees could not immediately be reached.
The Pittsburgh VA said in a statement, in part, that it “is committed to providing our employees with a safe and harassment-free work environment without regard to their race, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity and sex stereotyping), age, or disability.”
Barbara Forsha, interim director of the Pittsburgh VA, said in a statement: “The employees of VA Pittsburgh Healthcare system, as a whole, are some of the most dedicated and hardest working health care professionals with whom I have had the opportunity to serve. I can promise that we will move forward from this and focus on improving the overall workplace environment at VA Pittsburgh.”