Largest Veteran Affairs Employee Union Outraged After Secretary Collins Terminates AFGE Collective Bargaining Agreement

AFGE calls decision “another clear example of retaliation”

WASHINGTON – American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union representing 320,000 employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) expressed outrage after VA Secretary Doug Collins notified AFGE that he was “implementing” Executive Order 14251 by terminating the master collective bargaining agreement between VA and AFGE National VA Council. 

“Secretary Collins’ decision to rip up the negotiated union contract for majority of its workforce is another clear example of retaliation against AFGE members for speaking out against the illegal, anti-worker, and anti-veteran policies of this administration,” stated AFGE National President Everett Kelley.

The letter notified AFGE that except for police officers, firefighters and security guards, “VA no longer recognizes AFGE as the exclusive representative of any other VA bargaining unit employee,” 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 real reason Collins wants AFGE out of the VA is because we have successfully fought against disastrous, anti-veteran recommendations from the Asset Infrastructure Review (AIR) Commission which would have shut down several rural VA hospitals and clinics, opposed the Trump administration’s plan dismantle veteran health care through the cutting of 83,000 jobs, and consistently educated the American people about how private, for-profit veteran healthcare is more expensive and results in worse outcomes for veterans,” Kelley added. “We don’t apologize for protecting veteran healthcare and will continue to fight for our members and the veterans they care for.”

Additionally, Collins’ decision is inconsistent with Office of Personnel Management guidance which instructs agencies “not to terminate any CBAs until the conclusion of litigation,” and is contrary to recent administration representations in court that union contracts were not being terminated. 

AFGE is assessing our options to challenge Secretary Collins’ decision and restore our members’ union rights.

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The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union, representing 820,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia.