VA re-terminates AFGE contract for 300K employees, despite court order to restore it

Key Points:

• The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) re-terminated its collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of Government Employees’ National VA Council (AFGE/NVAC), despite a federal judge's order to restore it, affecting over 300,000 VA employees.
• U.S. District Court Judge Melissa DuBose criticized the VA's actions as "blatant disrespect" for the court order, stating the VA must comply with lawful reasons for termination and gave the department a deadline to explain its actions or face contempt charges.
• VA Secretary Doug Collins justified the re-termination based on a March 2025 executive order expanding national security exemptions to collective bargaining, asserting that the VA's mission involves national security functions that preclude such agreements.
• AFGE attorneys argue the VA is defying the court's injunction and causing irreparable harm to employees, while the Justice Department claims the union's motion to enforce the injunction is moot due to the re-termination and has appealed the case to the First Circuit Court of Appeals.
• The legality of the executive orders limiting collective bargaining rights remains under review by higher courts, with final rulings potentially years away, while the Office of Personnel Management has advised agencies to proceed with terminating or amending labor contracts amid ongoing legal challenges.