Naveed Shah says gutting VA union protections attacks the people who keep the VA running
Naveed ShahArmy veteran and political director of Common Defense, in a statement released by the organization
In a Common Defense statement the day after the terminations were announced, Shah says gutting VA workers' union protections attacks the people who keep the VA running, risks worse care and longer waits for veterans, and is about silencing critics rather than reform.
Responding to
Secretary Collins terminated AFGE's contract in retaliation for the union's public opposition to cuts and changes at the VA.
“These workers are the backbone of the VA, ensuring our fellow veterans get the care and support they've earned. By gutting their union protections, this administration is attacking the very people who keep the VA running, risking worse care, longer wait times, and a hollowed-out system. This isn't about reform; it's about silencing those who stand up for what's right”
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
Official statement
About this source
Release from Common Defense, a veterans' advocacy group, condemning the VA's cancellation of union contracts the day after it was announced, with a statement by its political director, Naveed Shah.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Common Defense's release says the cancellation strips nearly 350,000 VA workers, many of them veterans, of their rights to fair representation and arbitration.
After the quotation
The release says Common Defense stands with SEIU, AFGE and National Nurses United, demands the immediate reversal of the order and warns of effects on staffing, retention and continuity of care.
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. Shah says the move attacks VA workers, risks worse care for veterans and is meant to silence critics, 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. "Naveed Shah says gutting VA union protections attacks the people who keep the VA running". First published: 2026-11-13. Last updated: 2026-11-13. https://disputeindex.com/events/8777-in-a-common-defense-statement-the-day-after