The Department of Defense’s recent sweeping move to terminate most collective bargaining agreements is creating immediate uncertainty for hundreds of thousands of civilian employees and raising urgent legal and workplace questions.
In early April, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed DoD components to cancel union contracts on extremely short notice. The move is part of a broader effort tied to executive orders 14251 and 14343 from 2025, regarding national security, and reducing waste and fraud, respectively, that have already stripped bargaining rights from large portions of the federal workforce and is sure to face legal challenges.
What Is Collective Bargaining?
Collective bargaining is a process, regulated under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), in which an employer, whether federal or private, and a union negotiate wages, hours, benefits, and working conditions of employees who are represented by the union. The outcome is a collective bargaining agreement, which is a binding contract that sets pre-determined terms for a defined period. In 1935, Congress passed the NLRA, making clear that it is the policy of the United States to encourage collective bargaining by protecting workers’ full freedom of association. The NLRA protects workplace democracy by providing employees at private-sector workplaces the fundamental right to seek better working conditions and designation of representation without fear of retaliation.
Who Do the Cancellations of Collective...
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