“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’s national president.
The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), which represents 320,000 employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs expressed outrage yesterday following the announcement by VA Secretary Doug Collins that he was implementing Executive Order 14251 by terminating collective bargaining agreements for most VA bargaining-unit employees.
Unions and workers impacted. According to Collins’ announcement, which he characterized as “good news for Veterans, families, caregivers and survivors,” the VA notified the following unions that, effective immediately, their contracts with VA have been terminated for most bargaining-unit employees: 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).
However, contracts covering roughly 4,000 VA police officers, firefighters, and security guards represented by those unions will remain in place, according to the VA, as those occupations are exempt from the EO.
What about the other employees? “VA no longer recognizes AFGE as the exclusive representative of any other...
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