Press Releases

Lawmakers Emphasize that Suppression of Labor Rights Will Only Worsen VA Staffing and Reduce Quality of Care for Veterans

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Tim Kennedy (NY-26) and Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (IL-03) led a coalition of House Democrats demanding that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) immediately reinstate collective bargaining agreements for more than 377,000 VA employees that were unilaterally terminated by the Trump administration, including nurses, doctors, and frontline staff who care for millions of veterans nationwide.

Kennedy and Ramirez underscored that the termination of these collective bargaining agreements is an egregious attack on organized labor and a direct threat to the stability of the VA healthcare system, the security of its workforce, and the quality of the care our veterans rely on. 

“When you rip away workplace protections from nurses, doctors, and caregivers – many of whom are veterans themselves – you destabilize the very system our heroes depend on for their care,” said Congressman Kennedy. “This is reckless, it is politically motivated, and it will harm veterans in Western New York and across the country.”

The lawmakers’ letter comes after VA Secretary Doug Collins’s repeated insults regarding the integrity of hardworking union employees who tirelessly care for our nation’s heroes. Silencing unions who speak up against harmful policies not only violates workers’ rights but also weakens oversight, discourages whistleblowers, and erodes public trust in the VA’s ability to protect those who protect us. These actions to suppress collective bargaining protections will only deepen staffing shortages and threaten timely, quality care for veterans.

Kennedy, a longtime advocate for organized labor and a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, will continue holding the VA accountable to its mission of serving our nation’s heroes with the dignity, fairness, and respect they deserve. 

Background

On August 6, the Trump administration abruptly terminated collective bargaining agreements for the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), AFL-CIO, National Association of Government Employees (NAGE), National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNU), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). Together, these unions represent the vast majority of VA’s 450,000-person workforce.

Full text of the letter below:

The Honorable Doug Collins

Secretary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

810 Vermont Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20420

Dear Secretary Collins:

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. These workers, many of whom are veterans themselves, have dedicated their lives to serving our nation’s heroes. To that end, we demand that the VA reinstate collective bargaining agreements for affected federal unions.

On August 6, the Trump administration wrongly decided to terminate the collective bargaining agreements for the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), AFL-CIO, National Association of Government Employees (NAGE), National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), National Nurses Organizing Committee/ National Nurses United (NNU), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). The unions have previously issued statements and protested the Administration’s decision against proposed staff cuts and have filed numerous lawsuits against such cuts.

For months, we have sought clarity from the VA regarding how they plan to implement the Executive Order related to the termination of collective bargaining agreements, but they have denied us any answers. The first official response we received was the VA’s press release, which attempted to justify the current contracts as “outdated” or “not aligned with VA values.”

To that end, 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. Further, your assertion that “...unions that represent VA employees fight against the best interest of Veterans while protecting and rewarding bad workers” is both insulting and downright false. More than 80% of the VA’s 450,000-person workforce is union-affiliated, and AFGE alone represents about 300,000 employees working for the VA. The assertion is nothing but a hollow pretense for silencing labor voices, voices that often speak out against administrative abuse against our veterans without fear of retaliation. Union contracts are renegotiated, not revoked.

The Supreme Court has repeatedly found that “a fundamental principle of the First Amendment is that the government may not punish or suppress speech based on disapproval of the ideas or perspectives the speech conveys.” Refusing to honor collective bargaining agreements is a direct affront to the rights of the VA employees who are union members. Chilling the speech of unions and their members instills fear in the workforce, rendering employees less likely to report abuse and practice accountability.

Silencing VA’s unionized workers is a direct contradiction to the agency’s purported goal of improving efficiency and transparency. Anyone who purports to care about efficiency and accountability in government would, in good faith, empower workers to speak truth to power, to voice unpopular opinions, and alert the VA to potential abuse happening to our veterans. The mass termination of bargaining rights undermines trust, jeopardizes workplace stability, and discourages those who want to choose a career with the VA. Moreover, it signals an intent to weaken oversight and accountability, all of which will certainly impact the quality of care for our veterans.

We will not stand by while the administration makes decisions that intentionally violate the rights of its workers and jeopardize the health and well-being of our nation’s heroes. The administration’s decision to terminate the collective bargaining agreements of over 377,000 union members will destabilize the already overburdened workforce delivering critical care and greatly impact services to our nation’s veterans. We demand that the VA cease any further attempts to bypass or undermine the collective power of employees who have honorably chosen to serve our nation’s veterans

Sincerely, 

Rep. Timothy M. Kennedy, Rep. Delia C. Ramirez, Rep. Chellie Pingree, Rep. Debbie Dingell, Rep. Danny K. Davis, Rep. Becca Balint, Rep. Shri Thanedar, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Rep. John B. Larson, Rep. Lucy McBath, Rep. Kevin Mullin, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Juan Vargas, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet, Rep. Nikema Williams, Rep. Gwen S. Moore, Rep. Bill Foster, Rep. Sarah Elfreth, Rep. Ro Khanna, Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, Rep. Jonathan L. Jackson, Rep. Paul D. Tonko, Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán, Rep. Herbert C. Conaway, Jr., Rep. Yassamin Ansari, Rep. Frederica S. Wilson, Rep. LaMonica McIver, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Joe Courtney, Rep. Adam Smith, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Rep. James P. McGovern, Rep. Betty McCollum, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson, Rep. Jason Crow, Rep. Glenn Ivey, Rep. Mike Thompson, Rep. Donald S. Beyer Jr., Rep. Val Hoyle, Rep. Angie Craig, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, Rep. David Scott, Rep. Johnny Olszewski, Jr., Rep. Dan Goldman, Rep. Marilyn Strickland, Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, Rep. Scott H. Peters, Rep. Morgan McGarvey, Rep. Nellie Pou, Rep. Dina Titus, Rep. John Garamendi, Rep. Mike Levin, Rep. Sylvia R. Garcia, Rep. Grace Meng, Rep. Brendan F. Boyle, Rep. Robin L. Kelly, Rep. Julia Brownley, Rep. Robin L. Kelly, Rep. Julia Brownley , Rep. Andrea Salinas, Rep. Mark Takano, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Rep. Maxine Dexter, Rep. Shontel M. Brown, Rep. Jared Huffman, Rep. Haley M. Stevens, Rep. Greg Casar, Rep. Eric Swalwell, Rep. Maggie Goodlander, Rep. Kelly Morrison, Rep. Greg Stanton, Rep. Chris Pappas, Rep. Emilia Strong Sykes, Rep. Kathy Castor, Rep. André Carson, Rep. Summer L. Lee, Rep. Dwight Evans, Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, Rep. Joaquin Castro, Rep. Chris Deluzio, Rep. Gabe Amo, Rep. Madeleine Dean, Rep. Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr., Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, Rep. Joe Neguse, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, Rep. Donald Norcross, Rep. Suzan K. DelBene, Rep. Yvette D. Clarke, Rep. Mark Pocan, Rep. Jill Tokuda, Rep. Josh Harder, Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, Rep. Mark DeSaulnier

###