Weekly Federal Labor Roundup — VA & AFGE News (July 31–August 7, 2026)

It was a courtroom week for federal workers: our union went to court over the national Department of Veterans Affairs contract, new government-wide rules landed on layoffs and appeals, and Congress still has not put a 2027 pay raise on the table. Here is what matters most for employees at the Hampton VA Medical Center.

VA & Veterans

• Our union asked a federal court to stop the Department of Veterans Affairs from terminating the national contract. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) told the court that ending the master agreement would strip contract rights from hundreds of thousands of VA employees, according to AFGE. Read more
• House Democrats are demanding answers about veterans who cannot get mental health care. ProPublica reports that lawmakers sent VA Secretary Doug Collins a letter pressing for data on access, wait times, and staffing after veterans reported struggling to reach providers. Read more
• The VA scholarship programs that feed our clinical staffing pipeline are under federal review. A Federal Register notice shows the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is reviewing the paperwork behind the Health Professional Scholarship Program, which the VA uses to recruit nurses and other clinicians into medical centers like ours. Read more

Threats to Federal Workers’ Protections

• The Office of Personnel Management finalized rules expanding its own power over layoffs and employee appeals. Government Executive reports the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) will have more say over how a reduction in force (RIF) is carried out and how employees can challenge personnel actions. Read more
• AFGE and individual federal employees sued to unfreeze federal-sector class discrimination claims. The suit argues the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has stopped processing class complaints brought by federal workers, leaving those cases in limbo, according to AFGE. Read more
• LGBTQ+ federal employees went to court to restore health plan coverage for gender-affirming care. Government Executive reports the lawsuit challenges an OPM policy that bars Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) plans from covering that care. Read more
• There is still no 2027 pay raise on the table. Government Executive reports that neither the White House nor Congress has committed to a raise for January 2027, and a pay freeze is what happens by default if nothing changes. Read more
• Three bills moving in Congress would weaken paid leave, workers’ compensation, and workplace safety. AFGE is tracking the measures and says each one would chip away at protections federal employees rely on when they are hurt or need time off. Read more
• The federal mediation agency changed how labor disputes move forward. Government Executive reports the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) has revised the way it takes in and handles bargaining disputes and grievance mediation, which affects how cases get resolved. Read more

Union Wins & the Bigger Picture

• AFGE sued to force the Transportation Security Administration to hand over records on a secret screening privatization program. LaborPress reports the union filed suit after the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) withheld documents about a program that would turn airport screening over to private contractors. Read more
• AFGE opened its 2026 Election Center to get members ready for the midterms. The union launched voter tools and began rolling out congressional endorsements in states including Connecticut, Hawaii, and Michigan, according to AFGE. Read more
• Victims of the 2015 OPM data breach could get identity protection for life. Government Executive reports lawmakers have proposed permanent identity theft protection for the millions of current and former federal employees whose records were stolen. Read more
• Former federal employees have a new way to track down their personnel files. Government Executive reports on a new process for retirees and separated employees to request their official personnel records, which matter for retirement, benefits, and appeals. Read more

Have a question about how any of this affects your job, your benefits, or your rights at the Hampton VA Medical Center? Reach out to us — that is what your local is here for.

In solidarity,
AFGE Local 2328 — Representing the employees of Hampton VA Medical Center