VA tells employees that without the expired AFGE contract, staff and managers can communicate more freely
United States Department of Veterans AffairsFederal department, in a message to employees obtained by Government Executive
In a message to employees after the appeals court stay, VA management describes the AFGE agreement as expired, says employees and managers can now communicate more freely to improve the organization, and says managers will follow VA policy on matters the contract covered.
Responding to
The VA's master agreement with AFGE expired at the end of its term in August 2026 and no longer applies to VA employees other than police officers, firefighters and security guards.
“Employees and managers can more freely engage in open communications to improve the organization ... You may also see changes to some of the processes and procedures that were previously contained in the now-expired AFGE collective bargaining agreement.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
VA ends most union contracts, then treats AFGE's as expired; Collins cites veterans' care and unions call it retaliation
On August 6, 2025, the Department of Veterans Affairs terminated its collective bargaining agreements with five unions for most of its bargaining-unit employees. It cited Executive Order 14251, which President Trump signed in March 2025 to exclude the VA and other agencies from federal collective bargaining on national security grounds. Contracts for about 4,000 VA police officers, firefighters and security guards stayed in place. Secretary Doug Collins said unions that represent VA employees too often fight against veterans' best interests while protecting bad workers. The American Federation of Government Employees, whose master agreement covered about 300,000 VA employees, sued in federal court in Rhode Island in November 2025, arguing the termination was retaliation for its public opposition to VA policies. On March 13, 2026, U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose ordered the contract restored, finding the union likely to succeed on its First Amendment and Administrative Procedure Act claims. Collins terminated it again on March 26 on national security grounds, and the judge ruled the next day that the re-termination did not comply with her order. In May the First Circuit left her injunction in place. The VA then said the contract would end with its three-year term on August 8, 2026. AFGE says the VA's request to renegotiate triggered a clause that keeps the contract in force until a new one is agreed. Judge DuBose agreed in August, but on October 2 the First Circuit stayed that order, finding it went beyond the original injunction, without deciding the contract question. The VA told AFGE on October 10 that it considers the agreement expired for everyone except police officers, firefighters and security guards. AFGE has asked the judge to modify her injunction, and we did not find a ruling on that request as of November 12, 2026.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Report on the VA's message to employees that its AFGE agreement had expired and on guidance from its Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer keeping parts of the contract only for police officers, firefighters and security guards.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The message followed a First Circuit order that stayed Judge DuBose's ruling that the contract's automatic extension clause kept it in force while a new agreement is negotiated.
After the quotation
Department guidance said the VA would keep parts of the expired agreement only for police officers, firefighters and security guards, and would stop taking part in grievances involving other employees.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is the Department of Veterans Affairs' termination of most of its union contracts on August 6, 2025, and its later treatment of the AFGE master agreement as expired in October 2026. The VA describes the AFGE agreement as expired and presents the change as a chance for freer communication, which defends treating the contract as expired.
- Recorded on
- Published here
More from this case
Read the full caseAFGE says the appeals court did not let the VA re-terminate its contract and calls the move an attack on federal workers
American Federation of Government Employees
“Notably, the First Circuit did not sanction the VA's interpretation of the Duration of Agreement article, nor did it give the VA permission to re-terminate the CBA. ... AFGE vehemently opposes the VA's latest attack on federal workers, a third of whom are veterans themselves.”Read statement
Doug Collins tells AFGE the VA is terminating its contract again, on national security grounds
“The President is aware of both the important national security role VA performs and how collective bargaining affects VA's ability to perform that mission. ... VA is accordingly terminating this CBA on national security grounds.”Read statement
Richard Blumenthal says the administration illegally stripped VA workers of their bargaining rights
“VA workers have a legal right to collective bargaining that this Administration illegally stripped away last year. ... Veterans deserve a VA workforce that comes forward with concerns about poor patient care, waste, fraud and abuse without fear of retaliation. Unions are essential to this mission, and I will be looking to see that the courts uphold all VA employees' collective bargaining rights permanently.”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- VA tells employees that without the expired AFGE contract, staff and managers can communicate more freely
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/8705-in-a-message-to-employees-after-the-appeals
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "VA tells employees that without the expired AFGE contract, staff and managers can communicate more freely". First published: 2026-11-13. Last updated: 2026-11-13. https://disputeindex.com/events/8705-in-a-message-to-employees-after-the-appeals