Weekly Federal Labor Roundup — VA & AFGE News (October 16–22, 2026)

The Department of Veterans Affairs let its union contract lapse, the union is fighting back, and courts restored two more federal union contracts.
Hampton VA Medical Center
Hampton VA Medical Center

The Department of Veterans Affairs let its union contract lapse, the union is fighting back, and courts restored two more federal union contracts.

The Department of Veterans Affairs let the union contract expire, the Bureau of Prisons defied a court order, and a judge halted an Agriculture overhaul.

An appeals court weighs in on the Department of Veterans Affairs contract fight, health premiums jump again, and a prison contract is cancelled twice.

Unions win a settlement killing the shutdown mass-firing policy, the White House proposes zero raises, and new Veterans Affairs forms open for comment.

This week: Department of Veterans Affairs contracting reviews, a labor authority ruling on union orders, and a push to stop the federal pay freeze.

Veterans Affairs staffing strains hit a 7-year high, a judge pauses the federal job loyalty question, and more federal labor news for the week.

This week: a new veterans benefits order, whistleblower protections in Congress, and federal pay news for Department of Veterans Affairs employees.

A proposed 2027 pay freeze, a subpoena over the Department of Veterans Affairs health record overhaul, and a shutdown averted — this week's roundup.

This week: $17 billion more for the Department of Veterans Affairs records system, and new federal rules narrowing how workers challenge firings.

This week: the Department of Veterans Affairs adds $17 billion to its Oracle health record deal, plus new threats to federal job protections.