Randy Erwin
Role at the time: National president of the National Federation of Federal Employees, in an NFFE release
Condemned
Response to this claim
Ending most VA union contracts lets VA staff spend time on veterans instead of union business, frees office space for veterans' care, and lets managers reward high performers and hold poor performers accountable.
“The Trump administration's claim that this move helps veterans is preposterous ... VA healthcare professionals rely on their union membership to safely report mismanagement, expose cover-ups, and push back against political interference and corrupt private contracting. Eliminating unions eliminates those safeguards, which is exactly why they're doing it. This is going to be a disaster for veterans' care.”
Read the official statement (opens in a new tab)NFFE release: Secretary Doug Collins declares the VA is a national security agency and attacks collective bargaining rights of VA caregivers · National Federation of Federal 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. Erwin rejects the VA's justification and predicts harm to veterans' care, which condemns the terminations.