{"id":7449,"date":"2025-08-06T19:35:02","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T19:35:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7449"},"modified":"2025-08-06T19:35:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T19:35:02","slug":"va-terminates-union-contracts-for-most-bargaining-unit-employees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7449","title":{"rendered":"VA terminates union contracts for most bargaining-unit employees"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2025-08-06T19:35:02+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs today announced the termination of collective bargaining agreements for most VA bargaining-unit employees, a move that will make it easier for VA leaders to promote high-performing employees, hold poor performers accountable, and improve benefits and services to America\u2019s Veterans.<\/p>\n

The announcement comes in response to President Trump\u2019s executive order<\/a> that excludes certain federal agencies from labor-management relations programs. In accordance with the same EO, VA on April 25 stopped withholding union dues from most employees\u2019 paychecks.<\/p>\n

VA today notified the following unions that, effective immediately, pursuant to the EO their contracts with VA have been terminated for most bargaining-unit employees: American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO (AFGE); National Association of Government Employees (NAGE); National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE); National Nurses Organizing Committee\/National Nurses United (NNOC\/NNU); and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).<\/p>\n

Contracts covering the roughly 4,000 VA police officers, firefighters or security guards represented by these unions will remain in place, as those occupations are exempt from the EO.<\/p>\n

This decision is good news for Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors for several reasons:<\/p>\n

\u2022 VA staff will spend more time with Veterans: In 2024 alone, over 1,900 VA bargaining-unit employees spent more than 750,000 hours of work on taxpayer funded union time \u2013 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 of union bosses.
\u2022 VA facilities can focus on treating Veterans instead of hosting unions: More than 187,000 square feet of VA\u2019s office and clinical space is currently being used by union representatives, free of charge. This has cost VA millions of dollars in lost rent and expenses for union bosses\u2019 government phones and computer equipment. Today\u2019s decision will ensure VA facilities are fully focused on helping Veterans get the care and benefits they\u2019ve earned, instead of serving as free regional offices for unions that oppose our efforts to improve VA.
\u2022 VA can manage its staff according to Veterans\u2019 needs, not union demands: Labor contracts have restricted managers\u2019 ability to hire, promote and reward high-performing employees, hold poor performers accountable and implement reforms to better serve Veterans. Today\u2019s decision frees VA managers to act in the best interests of Veterans rather than union bosses.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo often, unions that represent VA employees fight against the best interests of Veterans while protecting and rewarding bad workers,\u201d said VA Secretary Doug Collins. \u201cWe\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Background
VA-employee unions have repeatedly opposed significant, bipartisan VA reforms and rewarded bad employees for misconduct. Examples include:
\u2022 AFGE, NFFE<\/a> and NNOC\/NNU<\/a> opposed the MISSION Act, a law that makes it easier for Veterans to get health care.
\u2022 NFFE supports rescinding the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act<\/a>, a law designed to protect whistleblowers and hold employees accountable for misconduct.
\u2022 AFGE <\/a>worked hand-in-hand with the Biden Administration<\/a> to reinstate more than 100 former employees fired for misconduct during the first Trump Administration and pay nearly $134 million<\/a> to some 1,700 former VA employees who were fired for misconduct during President Trump\u2019s first term.<\/p>\n

\n

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Union contracts for most bargaining-unit employees are terminated by VA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":54,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-news","category-trump"],"yoast_head":"\nVA terminates union contracts for most bargaining-unit employees - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Union contracts for most bargaining-unit employees are terminated by VA.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7449\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"VA terminates union contracts for most bargaining-unit employees - 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