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Shaun Southworth leading a federal employment training session with members of the Southworth PC team
 

VA Union Contract Reinstatement: Legal Fallout

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On March 13, 2026, a federal judge ordered the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to reinstate its Master Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with AFGE, restoring rights for mor...

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When Union Retaliation Crosses the Legal Line

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A recent federal court order requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs to restore its union contract did not happen in a vacuum. The decision turned on unusually clear evidence ...

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VA Union Rights Restored: What It Means for Feds

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A March 13, 2026 court order has immediate, practical consequences for more than 300,000 Department of Veterans Affairs employees. A federal judge required the VA to fully restore ...

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Can Executive Orders Erase Federal Union Rights?

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Federal employees are once again caught in the middle of a high-stakes legal fight over collective bargaining—and this one reaches far beyond any single agency or union. This week,...

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Can an Arbitrator Reject a Presidential Executive Order?

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Federal employees are increasingly being told a stark message: the President signed an executive order, so your bargaining rights are gone. When that message comes from agency lead...

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Judge Expands Shutdown RIF Protections for Union Members

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There’s a major update out of federal court—and it affects thousands of you navigating the shutdown’s uncertainty. On Friday, Judge Susan Illston expanded and clarified the Tempora...

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Judge Blocks Trump Order Stripping Federal Union Rights

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On September 30, 2025, federal employees won an important reprieve. Judge Paul Friedman of the U.S. District Court for D.C. issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump admin...

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VA Unions Press to Restore Bargaining Rights Amid Staffing Crisis

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On September 5, leaders from seven major unions—including AFGE’s National VA Council—sent a joint letter to VA Secretary Doug Collins. Their request was urgent: use authority under...

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How VA Union Contract Cancellations Impact Workers and Veterans

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On August 6th, the Department of Veterans Affairs voided union contracts covering nearly 400,000 employees. Overnight, provisions protecting schedules, staffing levels, and even pa...

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VA Union Contracts Canceled: What Federal Employees Need to Know

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The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has just taken a step that will reverberate across the federal workforce: it voided union contracts covering more than 360,000 healthcare wo...

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EPA Ends Union Recognition Under Executive Order 14251

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On August 8, 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it will no longer recognize its unions, terminating all collective bargaining agreements effective immediatel...

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VA’s Union Contract Termination and the Legal Crosshairs

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In a sweeping move, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has unilaterally terminated every major collective bargaining agreement (CBA) covering 377,000 employees. This action wa...

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Shaun Southworth & Lydia Taylor

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