Aug 16, 02:24 PM

Trump Administration Ends VA Union Contracts for 400,000 Workers

The Trump administration has begun dissolving federal collective-bargaining agreements, starting with the Department of Veterans Affairs. On 6 Aug the VA scrapped its 308-page contract with the American Federation of Government Employees, stripping labor protections from more than 400,000 staff—many of them veterans—after the Ninth Circuit cleared a White House order that permits agencies to void union deals while litigation continues. VA Secretary Doug Collins defended the move as necessary to curb what he called union interference in veteran services. Labor leaders and Democratic lawmakers counter that the decision is unprecedented union-busting, warning it could pave the way for wider privatization and degrade care, particularly for veterans in rural areas. The AFL-CIO, AFGE and allied unions have called a national day of action on 17 Aug and staged a rally outside Chicago’s Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, urging the administration to reinstate bargaining rights. Several members of Congress said they are exploring legislative and legal avenues to reverse the policy. The VA is expected to be only the first target. Labor advocates estimate that as many as 430,000 federal employees across agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, FEMA and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services could lose union contracts under the broader initiative.