Franklin, Tenn. — The Union Veterans Council (UVC), AFL-CIO and the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA), an affiliate organization of the AFL-CIO, recently committed to working together to support each organization’s mission and have identified a liaison who will help keep the partnership running at peak efficiency. 

The announcement was made during the USA’s Capital Area Sporting Clays Shoot at Prince George’s County Trap and Skeet Center in Glenn Dale, Maryland.  

“The UVC is proud to have forged a working partnership with the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance that will allow the two organizations to support each other's mission by connecting our memberships with two very important parts of the labor community, Veterans and Conservation/Sportsmen," said William Attig, UVC Executive Director. “Sam Phipps, who is both a veteran and a strong union member, has stepped up to become our volunteer Liaison.”

The volunteer liaison position will allow each organization to expand capacity, to engage members and build a strategy to connect our union veterans with the outdoors. 

“The USA reaches a lot of union members annually through our shoot tour and conservation dinners,” said Scott Vance, USA CEO & Executive Director. “We are taking steps to engage our veterans and say thanks for their service. Working with UVC, we’ll be able to reach out to a lot more of the veterans and give them a chance to come and fellowship with their brothers and sisters across the United States.” 

Phipps is a UA member of local 562 in Saint Louis, Missouri, and is a combat infantry veteran and an avid outdoorsman. Upon returning home from his military service he entered the UA’s Veterans in Piping program and now works as a heating & air technician. 

His unwavering support for his fellow veterans has driven him to work with his local to support programs that give veterans an opportunity to enjoy and use the outdoors as a way to better transition back to civilian life and build comradery on the home front. That is why the UVC is pleased to announce that Phipps will be the first Union Veterans Council-Union Sportsmen's Alliance liaison. 

Within this roll, Phipps will work to forge a working partnership with the USA in a variety of ways. “I am eager to take on this role with the Union Veterans Council and look forward to connecting with my fellow veterans through conservation and the outdoors,” said Phipps.
 

Photo Caption: 

The USA's Capital Area shoot celebrated the newly announced collaboration between the USA and UVC, along with the event's 10th anniversary where more than 250 participants raised over $125,000 for conservation over the course of two days.

Union Veterans Council (UVC): The goal of the UVC is to inform, organize and mobilize union veterans to advocate for good jobs, pay and pensions for all veterans as well as a fully funded, affordable and effective veterans’ health care system. For more information, visit www.unionveterans.org.

Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA): The USA is a union-dedicated, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose members hunt, fish, shoot and volunteer their skills for conservation. The USA is uniting the union community through conservation to preserve North America’s outdoor heritage. For more information, visit www.unionsportsmen.org or connect on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.