Weekly Federal Labor Roundup — VA & AFGE News (November 1–5, 2026)

The midterm results changed the math in Congress, and federal unions moved immediately to put pay and bargaining rights back on the table. Here is what mattered most for Hampton VA Medical Center members from November 1 through 5.

VA & Veterans

• The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) are now live on a national health data sharing network. Nextgov reports both agencies have joined the federal data exchange framework, which is meant to let a veteran’s records follow them between military and VA care. Read more
• VA physicians and dentists are asking Congress to pause further rollouts of the new electronic health record (EHR) system. Government Executive reports the association representing VA doctors and dentists says sites that have already switched are still dealing with patient safety problems and added workload. Read more

Threats to Federal Workers’ Protections

• Federal unions are pressing the new Congress for a real pay raise and the restoration of collective bargaining rights. Government Executive reports unions see the post-election Congress as their best opening yet to undo the executive orders that stripped bargaining rights from most of the federal workforce. Read more
• The administration’s federal workforce overhaul now has to get past a Congress it does not control. Government Executive reports Democratic wins give lawmakers new leverage over layoffs, job reclassifications and agency reorganizations. Read more
• A survey of former federal employees finds deep worry about politicizing the civil service — and plenty who would come back. Government Executive reports that feds who left during layoffs and buyouts name political interference as their top concern, while many say they would return to their old agencies. Read more
• The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has formally ended the governmentwide Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS). Government Executive reports agencies will run their own surveys instead, which means there will no longer be one comparable measure of how federal employees rate their workplaces. Read more

Union Wins & the Bigger Picture

• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) dropped a threat to discipline union members after two unions objected. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) reports that it and the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) pushed back, and the agency backed off. Read more
• AFGE is calling the midterm results a historic win for working people. The union credits member turnout and says it plans to hold the new Congress to its promises on federal pay and bargaining rights. Read more
• The labor federation says this election was union-made. People’s World reports the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) credits member-to-member organizing in key states for the results. Read more
• AFGE is urging the Social Security Administration (SSA) to restore full phone service to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. AFGE reports that reduced phone coverage is leaving beneficiaries in both territories without a reliable way to reach the agency. Read more
• AFGE members sponsored 19 students for college scholarships this year. AFGE reports the awards were funded through the Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA), which is open to the children and families of federal workers. Read more
• More than 100,000 California state workers walked off the job last month. Jacobin reports it was one of the largest public-sector strikes in the country’s history, driven by pay and a return-to-office fight. Read more

Have a question about how any of this affects your job? Reach out to your steward or contact the local — that is what we are here for.

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