The Department of Veterans Affairs has terminated its collective bargaining agreements with AFGE and other labor unions representing more than 400,000 VA workers.
AFGE President Everett Kelley said the action by VA Secretary Doug Collins was a clear case of retaliation against AFGE members for speaking out against the illegal, anti-worker, and anti-veteran policies of the Trump administration. The VA’s Aug. 6 press release announcing the revocations criticized AFGE and other unions for their advocacy on behalf of VA workers and veterans.
“The real reason Collins wants AFGE out of the VA is because we have opposed the Trump administration’s plan dismantle veteran health care through the cutting of 83,000 jobs, successfully fought against the disastrous and anti-veteran recommendations from the Asset Infrastructure Review (AIR) Commission that would have shut down several rural VA hospitals and clinics, and consistently educated the American people about how private, for-profit veteran health care is more expensive and results in worse outcomes for veterans,” Kelley said.
“We don’t apologize for protecting veteran health care and will continue to fight for our members and the veterans they care for.”
Secretary Collins notified AFGE that he was “implementing” Executive Order 14251 by terminating the master collective bargaining agreement between VA and AFGE National VA Council. However, AFGE and other labor unions are challenging the executive order in court, and the administration’s own guidance from the Office of Personnel Management instructs agencies “not to terminate any CBAs until the conclusion of litigation.” The secretary’s action also is contrary to recent administration representations in court that union contracts were not being terminated.
Collins said the VA will no longer recognize AFGE as the exclusive representative for most VA employees, including nurses, doctors, benefits specialists, housekeepers, electricians, painters, food service workers, lawyers, dentists, pharmacists, crisis responders, mental health specialists, cemetery workers, janitors, and more. The only VA employees who will retain their union contracts are police officers, firefighters, and security guards – who are exempt from the executive order.
What Comes Next
AFGE is assessing our options to challenge Secretary Collins’ decision and restore our members’ union rights.
What workers should do: VA employees should call their congressional offices and make sure their representative has sponsored the discharge petition to bring the Protect America’s Workforce Act to a vote. This critical bill would overturn Trump’s union-busting executive order and restore collective bargaining rights to all federal workers. A discharge petition would allow the bill to bypass committees and bring a bill directly to the floor for a vote.
What union leaders should do: All VA locals need to transition to virtual offices since they will be losing their union office space within VA facilities. Click here for a step-by-step guide. AFGE and NVAC also will be launching a website that hosts specific VA resources to respond to this moment. Be on the lookout for more details.
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