On April 17, 2025, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) published a notice in the Federal Register (90 Fed.Reg. 16,427), reinstating collective bargaining rights for limited groups of VA employees.
As previously analyzed in this blog, the Administration has been taking steps to strip union collective bargaining protections for large portions of the executive branch. Under that initiative, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs was given discretion to exclude certain portions of their agencies from the executive order (thus reinstating their collective bargaining rights). The Department of Defense was authorized to issue a similar notice, but had not done so within the 15-day deadline specified in the executive order.
In its issuance, the VA reinstated collective bargaining rights for employees represented by the following unions and facilities:
- Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA);
- Western Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals (WFNHP), Veterans Affairs Staff Nurse Council (VASNC) Local 5032 at the VA Medical Center Milwaukee, WI;
- International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF-99) at the VA Medical Center, Little Rock, AR;
- United Nurses Association of California/Union of Healthcare Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) at the VA Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA;
- Teamsters Union Local 115 at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Coatesville, PA;
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 2168 at the Cheyenne WY VA Medical Center; and,
- International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, (IAMAW) Local 1998 at the VA National Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, HI.
The VA provided no explanation for why it exempted these specific units and locations, as opposed to other groups of employees (including employees performing similar functions at other VA locations).
If you are a federal employee or federal sector union and wish to discuss your rights in this situation, consider contacting Gilbert Employment Law to request an initial consultation.