Everett Kelley says Collins singled out AFGE for retaliation because it spoke out against VA cuts
Everett KelleyNational president of the American Federation of Government Employees, in an AFGE release
After the court ordered the contract restored, Kelley says Collins singled out AFGE and its members for retaliation because they refused to stay silent about VA cuts that would harm veterans, and that exempting other unions made the retaliation impossible to deny.
Responding to
Secretary Collins terminated AFGE's contract in retaliation for the union's public opposition to cuts and changes at the VA.
“Secretary Collins singled out AFGE and our members for retaliation because we refused to stay silent about cuts and changes at the VA that would harm veterans. His decision to exempt other unions from the President's executive order and then terminate AFGE/NVAC's collective bargaining agreement made the retaliation impossible to deny.”
Official statement
Original text
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
Official statement
About this source
AFGE release on Judge Melissa DuBose's March 13, 2026 preliminary injunction reinstating the master agreement between the VA and AFGE's National VA Council, with statements by NVAC President Mary Jean Burke and AFGE National President Everett Kelley.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Original text
About this source
Court record as mirrored by CourtListener (RECAP). Memorandum and order granting the unions' motion for a preliminary injunction and directing the VA to reinstate the master agreement and related agreements for the remainder of the agreed-upon term. The court found the unions likely to succeed on their First Amendment retaliation and Administrative Procedure Act claims. Read in full.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Judge Melissa DuBose granted the union's motion for a preliminary injunction and ordered the VA to reinstate the master agreement between the department and AFGE's National VA Council.
After the quotation
Kelley says the contract cannot be torn up unilaterally and that the VA's actions put veterans' care at risk by undermining the people who serve them.
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. Kelley calls the termination retaliation against AFGE for speaking out, which condemns it.
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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
VA tells employees that without the expired AFGE contract, staff and managers can communicate more freely
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
“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.”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
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The Dispute Index. "Everett Kelley says Collins singled out AFGE for retaliation because it spoke out against VA cuts". First published: 2026-11-13. Last updated: 2026-11-13. https://disputeindex.com/events/8706-after-the-court-ordered-the-contract-restored-kelley