June 6, D-Day rally modeled after 1932’s Bonus Army

On Friday, June 6, the anniversary of D-Day, dozens of registered nurses from National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU) will join Sen. Tammy Duckworth (IL), veterans, federal workers, military families, and allies in Washington, D.C., for the Unite for Veterans, Unite for America rally. Organized by the Unite for Veterans Coalition, this rally is modeled after the 1932 Bonus Army’s march on Washington, D.C., and will spotlight attacks on veteran benefits, call out attempts to privatize the VA, and rally the veteran community to defend the institutions that serve them.

“Nurses are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with our veterans as we fight for the highest quality of care for those who put their lives on the line to serve our country,” said Irma Westmoreland, a registered nurse and the chair of NNU’s VA Division. “We are currently facing the imminent loss of tens of thousands of positions from the VA. These proposed cuts come as we are already struggling to provide the highest quality of care with far too few nurses and resources. These cuts are a betrayal of the promise we made to our veterans. Our veterans deserve what they were promised: access to health care, mental health support, and a fully staffed, well-functioning VA.”

What:   Registered nurses at the Unite for Veterans, Unite for America rally

Who:    Speakers include:
             Irma Westmoreland, RN, Chair of NNU’s VA Division
             Sen. Tammy Duckworth (IL)
             Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (IL)
             Former Rep. Conor Lamb (PA)

When:  Friday, June 6, 2025, 2:00 p.m. EST

Where: The National Mall, Washington, D.C. - just north of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, where 6th Street crosses the Mall

The 1932 Bonus Army included some 17,000 World War I veterans and tens of thousands of their family members and allies who marched on Washington, D.C., to demand payment of promised bonuses for their war service. The protesters made camp on the mall, where they were met by police, who fired on the protesters, leaving two people dead.

The Unite for Veterans, Unite for America rally will take place as nurses and other federal workers are fighting against this administration’s unprecedented attack on their collective bargaining rights.

• On March 27, an executive order was issued that attempts to strip away federal workers’ collective bargaining rights, claiming “national security” is at issue. However, in a fact sheet explaining the executive order, it was made clear that the executive order was issued because federal employee unions had “declared war” on the administration’s agenda. Nurses contend that the executive order is a retaliatory attempt to punish federal employee unions that have been engaging in constitutionally protected speech.
• In April, NNU joined with other federal-sector unions in a lawsuit to challenge this executive overreach in the courts.
• In addition, nurses are supporting the VA Employee Fairness Act, a federal bill reintroduced May 7 that will ensure nurses and other VA clinical staff have full collective bargaining rights.

“We know justice is worth fighting for and we will not be silenced in the advocacy for our veterans,” said Westmoreland, RN. “We’ve seen an attempt to chill our efforts to defend the VA by this administration when it issued an executive order attempting to strip us of our collective bargaining rights. But nurses are tough. When the fate of a person’s life is put in your hands every day, you grow a backbone of steel. We are up to this fight and we intend to keep fighting and keep speaking out to ensure the integrity of the VA and compassionate justice for our veterans.”

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.