Delia Ramirez and House Democrats say the VA ended contracts only with unions that criticized it
Delia RamirezU.S. representative from Illinois and ranking member of the House Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, co-leading a letter with Rep. Tim Kennedy signed by more than 90 House Democrats
In a letter Ramirez co-led with Representative Tim Kennedy, more than 90 House Democrats express outrage at the terminations, argue that the VA ended contracts only with unions that had criticized its policies, and demand that it reinstate the agreements.
Responding to
Secretary Collins terminated AFGE's contract in retaliation for the union's public opposition to cuts and changes at the VA.
“We write to express our outrage regarding the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) decision to unilaterally terminate collective bargaining agreements covering over 377,000 employees. ... it is clear that the Administration only terminated collective bargaining agreements for unions that have been critical of their actions, punishing those who have spoken out against VA policies that stripped protections for union members and the veterans they serve.”
Original text
Official statement
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
Original text
About this source
Letter to Secretary Doug Collins led by Representatives Delia Ramirez and Tim Kennedy and signed by more than 90 House Democrats. It demands that the VA reinstate the collective bargaining agreements it terminated on August 6, 2025. This copy is posted on Representative Maggie Goodlander's website.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Official statement
About this source
Release announcing H.R. 6015, the House bill Representative Delia Ramirez introduced to restore VA employees' collective bargaining rights, with statements by Ramirez, Senator Richard Blumenthal and Senator Lisa Murkowski.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The letter to Secretary Collins says the administration ended its agreements with AFGE, NAGE, NFFE, National Nurses United and SEIU on August 6, and that the VA's press release was the first official response the lawmakers received to their questions about the executive order.
After the quotation
The letter calls Collins's statement that unions fight against veterans' interests insulting and false, and demands that the VA reinstate the agreements. In November 2025 Ramirez introduced H.R. 6015, a House bill to restore VA employees' collective bargaining rights.
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' exclusion from collective bargaining under Executive Order 14251, its 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 letter Ramirez co-led expresses outrage at the terminations and calls them punishment of unions that spoke out, which condemns them.
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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. "Delia Ramirez and House Democrats say the VA ended contracts only with unions that criticized it". First published: 2026-11-13. Last updated: 2026-11-13. https://disputeindex.com/events/8746-in-a-letter-ramirez-co-led-with-representative