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Civil Rights for Civil Servants
Hear Shaun Southworth and Lydia Taylor explain federal employee rights, public service, workplace systems, and the people navigating them.
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VA Union Contract and August 8: What the Master Agreement Actually Says
The AFGE–VA master agreement reaches its three-year terminal date on August 8, 2026, and whether the contract ends that day comes down to a single paragraph that most coverage has ...
VA LGBTQ+ Care Coordinator Memo: Employee Rights
For nearly a decade, VA facilities have included LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinators—roles created in 2016 after the agency identified that LGBTQ+ veterans were not consistently recei...
VA Union Contract Restored: What Employees Should Know
For Department of Veterans Affairs employees represented by AFGE’s National VA Council, the First Circuit’s recent ruling is more than procedural news. A unanimous three-judge pane...
Federal Employees and Off-Duty Free Speech
Federal employees do not stop being citizens when they leave the workplace. That principle matters when an employee attends a public vigil, speaks on a matter of public concern, an...
VA Arbitration Ruling Reinforces Union Rights
Recent reports involving senior military promotions raise a deeper concern that extends beyond any single agency: the erosion of merit-based decision-making. Allegations that promo...
VA Union Contract Stay: What It Means Now
When agencies and courts move quickly, uncertainty follows. Right now, VA employees are asking a simple but urgent question: does the union contract still apply while the case is o...
VA Court Order Defiance and Union Rights Explained
A federal court order is not a suggestion—it is binding law. Yet the Department of Veterans Affairs recently tested that boundary by claiming compliance with a court-ordered reinst...
VA Union Contract Reinstatement: Legal Fallout
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...
VA Union Rights Restored: What It Means for Feds
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 ...
VA Reorganization Plans: What Staffing Caps Really Mean
VA employees—especially those working in clinics, hospitals, and regional offices—are hearing a familiar phrase again: reorganization. This time, VA leadership has told Congress it...
VA Cuts “Vacant” Jobs: Why Staff Feel the Impact Anyway
For many VA employees, being told “it’s not layoffs, it’s just vacancies” does not feel reassuring. When teams are already stretched thin, vacant positions represent hope: reinforc...
VA Pride Lanyard Ban: Why It Likely Violates Federal Law
If a VA hospital bans rainbow lanyards or warns employees they can be fired for wearing Pride colors, that’s not just poor optics—it’s likely unlawful. Under Title VII of the Civil...
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