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US judge revives union contract for 320,000 workers at veterans' agency
Judge Melissa DuBose found the VA’s contract cancellation retaliatory under the First Amendment and ordered reinstatement for 320,000 employees during ongoing litigation.
- On Friday, U.S. District Judge Melissa DuBose ordered the Department of Veterans Affairs to reinstate a collective bargaining agreement covering 320,000 employees, forcing the agency to recognize the contract while the lawsuit proceeds.
- The agency previously nullified the agreement last August to carry out President Donald Trump's executive order, claiming the exemption was necessary because the VA serves as the military's "primary backup" during national emergencies.
- Judge DuBose wrote in her 29-page opinion that the cancellation was "substantially motivated" by the union's opposition to labor policies, noting the agency's "laser focus" on perceived union interference.
- AFGE NVAC President MJ Burke stated the union is "grateful for today's court decision, but there is still work to do," while AFGE National President Everett Kelley emphasized the ruling holds the administration accountable.
- This ruling marks a significant development in ongoing lawsuits challenging President Trump's 2025 executive orders, which stripped most federal employees of collective bargaining rights, while the broader legal battle continues.
8 Articles
8 Articles
Judge Orders Veterans Affairs to Reinstate Collective Bargaining Agreement
A federal judge on March 13 ordered the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to honor its collective bargaining agreement with a union while litigation over the agreement played out. U.S. District Judge Melissa R. DuBose of Rhode Island issued an injunction temporarily requiring the department to honor its three-year master collective bargaining agreement with the National Veterans Affairs Council (NVAC), which is a unit of the American Fede…
Defeat mounts as another judge tramples Trump’s 'shameful' attack on federal workers
The New York Times reports a Rhode Island federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore a union contract that President Donald Trump tried to bust with Veterans Affairs Department workers.Doug Collins, the V.A. secretary, moved to nullify the agreement with more than 300,000 last August, as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to fire thousands of U.S. employees.“In a 29-page opinion, Judge Melissa R. Dubose wrote that the uni…
RI federal judge issues temporary order restoring VA employee union contracts • Rhode Island Current
Union officials arrive outside the U.S. District Court in Providence on Feb. 19, 2026, ahead of a hearing over the Department of Veterans Affairs’ termination of collective bargaining agreements. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)A Rhode Island federal judge ruled Friday that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs must restore an agency-wide collective bargaining agreement nullified last year, leaving hundreds of thousands of unio…
US judge revives union contract for 320,000 workers at veterans' agency
A federal judge on Friday reinstated a union bargaining agreement covering 320,000 employees of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that the agency had canceled to carry out an order from President Donald Trump.
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