VA Cuts Ties With Unions in ‘Best Interests of Veterans’

The Department of Veterans Affairs announced it is severing its ties with unions, in line with President Donald Trump’s executive order ending collective bargaining with unions at some agencies.

The move is intended to make it easier for VA leaders to promote high-performing employees, hold poor performers accountable, and improve benefits and services to America’s veterans.

“Too often, unions that represent VA employees fight against the best interests of veterans while protecting and rewarding bad workers,” VA Secretary Doug Collins said. “We’re making sure VA resources and employees are singularly focused on the job we were sent here to do—providing top-notch care and service to those who wore the uniform.”

Veterans Affairs notified several unions that their contracts with VA have been terminated for most bargaining-unit employees. The unions include the American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO; National Association of Government Employees; National Federation of Federal Employees; National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United; and the Service Employees International Union.

The American Federation of Government Employees, representing 320,000 employees at Veterans Affairs, expressed outrage after Collins said he was terminating its agreement. 

“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,” American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelley said. 

Contracts covering the roughly 4,000 VA police officers, firefighters, and security guards represented by these unions will remain in place, because those occupations are exempt from Trump’s executive order.

The move is expected to enable VA staff to spend more time with veterans.

In 2024, more than 1,900 VA bargaining-unit employees spent more than 750,000 hours of work on taxpayer-funded union time, including some who are paid more than $200,000 a year. With no collective-bargaining obligations, those hours can now be used to serve veterans instead.

VA facilities will also be able focus on treating veterans instead of hosting unions.

More than 187,000 square feet of VA’s office and clinical space is currently being used by union representatives, free of charge.

According to the agency, the move will allow the VA to manage its staff according to veterans’ needs, not union demands.

Labor contracts have restricted managers’ ability to hire, promote, and reward high-performing employees, hold poor performers accountable, and implement reforms to better serve veterans.

“Today’s decision frees VA managers to act in the best interests of veterans rather than union bosses,” the press release says.