Everett Kelley
Role at the time: National president of the American Federation of Government Employees, in an AFGE release
Condemned
Response to this claim
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.”
Read the official statement (opens in a new tab)AFGE release: Court orders restoration of AFGE Veterans Affairs collective bargaining agreement · American Federation of Government EmployeesPress release text
Why we used 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.