FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 02, 2026
July 02, 2026
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AFGE Communications
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AFGE and NFFE Affiliates Sue Defense Department Over Illegal Termination of Employees’ Union Rights
Categories:
DoD
New lawsuit argues Secretary Hegseth’s move to terminate collective bargaining agreements makes America less safe
WASHINGTON – Today, more than 20 union affiliates of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM) filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland against the Department of Defense over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's unlawful memorandum directing the termination of hundreds of union contracts throughout the nation.
In the lawsuit, the unions argue that Hegseth's actions, carried out through an April 9, 2026 memo, violated the Administrative Procedure Act in multiple ways. In particular, the memo and the contract terminations that followed were not based on reasoned decision making required by law and misinterpreted the executive order they were purportedly based on. As a result of Hegseth's actions, tens of thousands of hardworking federal employees, many of whom are veterans and members of military families, lost union rights they have had for decades.
"The Department of Defense's termination of AFGE contracts, carried out under Pete Hegseth's unlawful directive, is an insult to the hardworking men and women who serve our military. I am proud to stand with AFGE's affiliates fighting for their rights. In many cases, the affiliates have had contracts in place for more than fifty years before they were unlawfully terminated,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley. "As we celebrate our nation's 250th anniversary, we should not be attacking those who help us protect our freedoms. In attacking DoD civilian employees, the administration is attacking veterans, military families, and the workers our warfighters rely on every day. This not only makes America less safe, it is antithetical to our values as a nation."
“For decades, workers at the Department of Defense have had the right to unionize, and employees exercising that right has never been detrimental to U.S. national security,” said NFFE National President Randy Erwin. “The Trump administration unilaterally and illegally stripping collective bargaining rights from DoD workers only serves to weaken morale, harm recruitment and retention, and reduce accountability – jeopardizing our national security and the critical mission of the agency. NFFE locals are proud to join their AFGE brothers and sisters in challenging the cancellation of their collective bargaining agreements and we are confident the rule of law will prevail.”
The plaintiffs in this case are represented by Altshuler Berzon LLP and Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP.
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