Washington, DC – American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) National President Everett Kelley expressed outrage after VA Secretary Doug Collins selectively used his authority to deny union rights for VA employees represented by AFGE while preserving union rights for employees performing similar job functions who are not represented by AFGE.
“Secretary Collins made an outrageous, cowardly choice to attack AFGE-represented nurses, doctors, benefits specialists, housekeepers, electricians, painters, food service workers, crisis responders, mental health specialists, cemetery workers, and janitors at the VA by falsely claiming these workers are engaged in national security work,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley.
Collins’ actions are a clear continuation of the administration’s coordinated, retaliatory behavior against AFGE members for exercising their first amendment rights to protest Trump administration policies, including chaotic cuts to government services spearheaded by Elon Musk’s DOGE.
“AFGE members at the VA, a third of whom are veterans themselves, have exercised their union rights through wars, terrorist attacks, a global pandemic, and the entirety of Trump’s first term without incident. These patriotic public servants’ union activity is not and never has been a threat to national security. But their voices are a threat to plans to cut 83,000 workers from the VA and turn veteran health care into a for-profit business, harming veterans across the country. That’s why Secretary Collins and the Trump administration want to silence them,” Kelley added.
