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

This week brought hard news close to home: the Department of Veterans Affairs let its master union contract expire for most employees, and our national union immediately went looking for a way to get it back. Here is what happened, what it means for your protections, and where federal workers won.

VA & Veterans

• The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) allowed its master union contract to expire for most employees. Government Executive reports the department let the agreement covering the bulk of its represented workforce lapse rather than bargain a successor, which puts the grievance, scheduling, and workplace-rights language we rely on every day in limbo. Read more
• The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is pursuing a new legal avenue to restore the VA contract. Government Executive reports our national union is taking the fight to a different forum after the expiration, arguing the department’s move was unlawful and the agreement should be put back in force. Read more
• VA employees say the nominee to lead the department’s watchdog office is “watering down” oversight. Government Executive reports that staff inside the Office of Inspector General — the office that investigates patient-safety and mismanagement complaints at medical centers like ours — allege findings are being softened before they reach the public. Read more
• The VA is pushing outside providers to adopt technology that streamlines veterans’ specialist appointments. Nextgov reports the department wants community providers on a shared referral and scheduling platform, a change that will affect how medical center staff coordinate care for veterans sent outside the system. Read more

Threats to Federal Workers’ Protections

• Federal employees say the new performance rating system is rushed, confusing, and caps how many people can earn a top score. Government Executive spoke with workers across agencies who say they were never told how the limits work, even though ratings drive awards, promotions, and who gets cut in a layoff. Read more
• At U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), managers deflated employee ratings to fit a forced curve. Government Executive obtained internal accounts describing supervisors lowering scores people had already earned so the numbers would match a quota handed down from above — a preview of what forced distribution looks like in practice. Read more
• Government auditors found that civil service cuts have shrunk oversight of nuclear material security. The Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, reported that staffing reductions left fewer people doing safety inspections — proof that “cutting bureaucracy” means cutting the people who keep the public safe. Read more
• Last year’s mass federal layoffs fell hardest on Black women, and the damage is still spreading. Government Executive reports on new data showing that cuts driven by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) wiped out careers in a workforce where federal jobs have long been one of the steadiest paths to the middle class. Read more
• AFGE is calling on the Small Business Administration to halt planned office relocations. Our national union says the agency is moving offices without bargaining over the impact on employees, the same playbook other agencies have used to push people out the door without calling it a layoff. Read more

Union Wins & the Bigger Picture

• The Federal Labor Relations Authority upheld a union challenge to a telework rollback at Health and Human Services. The Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) is the agency that referees disputes between federal unions and management, and Government Executive reports it agreed the department had to bargain before yanking telework. Read more
• A judge again ordered the Federal Bureau of Prisons to reinstate its union contracts. Government Executive reports the court repeated its order after the agency dragged its feet, though it stopped short of holding officials in contempt — a reminder that winning in court and getting compliance are two different fights. Read more
• A federal judge blocked an illegal reorganization at the Department of Agriculture. AFGE reports the court stopped a restructuring that would have uprooted thousands of workers and gutted services the public depends on, after the union argued the agency skipped the steps the law requires. Read more
• Screeners in Tampa beat back an effort to privatize their airport jobs. Labor Notes tells the story of how AFGE members at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) organized to stop their work from being handed to a private contractor — a case study in what an active local can do. Read more

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

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