A federal court issued a temporary order that directed the VA to recognize its master collective bargaining agreement with the National Veterans Affairs Council, a labor union representing many VA workers at medical centers and cemeteries. The case is being heard in U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island. (Library of Congress)
WASHINGTON — A federal district court judge issued a temporary order requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs to reinstate a collective bargaining agreement with the National Veterans Affairs Council, a labor union representing many VA workers at medical centers and cemeteries.
The ruling restores access to union safeguards, including negotiations for fair wages and grievance procedures, for more than 300,000 VA employees.
Judge Melissa DuBose granted a preliminary injunction on March 13 that directs the VA to restore its master collective bargaining agreement with the council, maintaining the status quo while the case is heard.
The National Veterans Affairs Council, part of the American Federation of Government Employees, represents 320,000 VA employees. It is the largest union for VA staff, covering doctors, nurses, medical technicians and cemetery workers, according to the AFGE.
The case, which is being heard in U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, involves a decision by VA Secretary Doug Collins last August to terminate the VA’s labor agreement with the AFGE National VA Council.
“The court acknowledges that the changes resulting from the termination of the master collective bargaining agreement are significant and that reversing these changes will have associated costs of time and resources for the VA,” DuBose wrote in the March 13 court memorandum and order.
“But the significant injury to the plaintiffs from the loss of status as representatives of many VA employees and to their members from the revocation of the protections and benefits of the master CBA [collective bargaining agreement] weighs more heavily at this juncture,” DuBose wrote.
The VA did not respond before publication to a request for comment. The agency could decide to appeal the decision, Federal News Network reported.
The VA on Aug. 6 terminated labor contracts with the AFGE and four other unions — the National Association of Government Employees, the National Federation of Federal Employees, the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United and the Service Employees International Union.
“The move will ensure VA stays focused on veterans instead of spending millions of taxpayer dollars and approximately 750,000 hours per year on union activities,” the VA said in an August news release.
The VA stated that the move aligned with President Donald Trump’s executive order in March 2025 that exempted the VA and several other federal agencies from collective bargaining, because their work is considered critical to national security.
The executive branch is permitted under the Federal Service Labor-Management Statute to prohibit agencies that work in national security from collective bargaining, according to court documents.
The executive order made an exception for VA police officers, security guards and firefighters, according to court documents.
The VA asserted that national security is one of its primary functions.
“Since 1982, the VA has been involved with preparing the country for national emergencies like war, terrorism, and natural disasters by working on plans and implementing actions to support local, state, and national emergency management efforts, ensuring continuity of services to veterans, coordinating with other agencies, and serving as backup for medical military personnel,” according to court documents.
The AFGE National VA Council filed a federal lawsuit in Providence, R.I., in November 2025, in an effort to restore the master collective bargaining agreement.
The council asked for the preliminary injunction to reinstate its collective bargaining agreement while the case is being heard, according to court documents.
“Plaintiffs assert that the termination of the master [collective bargaining agreement] was in fact retaliation for their speech and conduct in opposition to the Trump presidential campaigns and Trump administrations in violation of plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights,” according to the lawsuit.
DuBose indicated that she agreed with that argument in her March 13 memorandum and order.
“The termination of the master CBA on August 6 seems substantially motivated by the plaintiffs’ history and frequency of vocally opposing changes to labor policies,” DuBose wrote.
Collective bargaining refers to the negotiations between employers and workers represented by a union over wages, benefits, hours and working conditions, according to the Labor Department.
AFGE Local 2305 also is a plaintiff in the case.
Local 2305 represents Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Vermont and Rhode Island — where the case is being heard.
