Weekly Federal Labor Roundup — VA & AFGE News (October 2–8, 2026)

Here’s your weekly look at the federal labor news that touches our jobs at Hampton VA Medical Center. This week brought a court ruling on our national contract, another double-digit health premium increase, and a Bureau of Prisons fight that shows exactly what some agencies will try when a union contract gets in their way.

VA & Veterans

• A federal appeals court appears to side with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on the expiration of our national contract. Government Executive reports the court’s ruling seemingly accepts the VA’s contested position that its collective bargaining agreement with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) has run out, a question that goes straight to our bargaining rights. Read more
• The VA is adding a CLEAR sign-in option and piloting in-person identity verification. Government Executive reports veterans will be able to log in to VA systems using their CLEAR account, while a new pilot lets people verify who they are face-to-face at selected sites, which means new front-line workload for the staff who handle them. Read more
• The VA is testing the market for alternatives to its Microsoft software. Washington Technology reports the department is surveying vendors for replacements to the Microsoft tools it runs on, an early step that could eventually change the systems many of us use every single shift. Read more

Threats to Federal Workers’ Protections

• A federal judge ordered the Bureau of Prisons to put its union contract back in place. AFGE reports the court found the agency’s termination of the contract unlawful and directed it to reinstate the agreement for correctional officers. Read more
• Days later, the Bureau of Prisons cancelled those contracts all over again. Government Executive reports the agency re-terminated the agreements despite the court order, and AFGE has called the move shameful and asked the court to hold agency leaders in contempt. Read more
• AFGE filed a national grievance after the Social Security Administration walked away from its contract. AFGE reports the Social Security Administration (SSA) repudiated the negotiated agreement covering tens of thousands of employees, and the union’s general committee answered with a national grievance. Read more
• The SSA is also ending flexible work schedules, setting up a direct clash with the union. Government Executive reports the agency is scrapping flexible schedules for its workforce, the kind of change to working conditions that normally belongs at the bargaining table. Read more
• AFGE’s Environmental Protection Agency council is suing over its cancelled contract. AFGE reports the council took the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to federal court, arguing the termination of the union contract was unlawful, the same pattern we are watching play out agency by agency. Read more
• Health insurance premiums are rising nearly 11 percent for federal workers next year. AFGE reports the employee share of Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) premiums will climb almost 11 percent for the 2027 plan year, the third straight year of double-digit increases, so compare plans carefully during Open Season. Read more
• The Transportation Security Administration took away its officers’ chairs, and the union is not sitting quietly. AFGE reports the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) pulled chairs from checkpoint officers who had already worked unpaid through two shutdowns, and the union has opened a channel for travelers to tell the agency what they think of it. Read more

Union Wins & the Bigger Picture

• AFGE rolled out another round of congressional endorsements. The union announced backing for candidates in Wisconsin, Colorado, California and Michigan this week, choosing people it believes will defend federal jobs and bargaining rights in the next Congress. Read more
• AFGE leaders charted the union’s next steps at the 2026 Leadership Summit. AFGE reports officers and local leaders from across the country met to set priorities for organizing, contract fights and member defense in the year ahead. Read more
• Home care workers in New York launched what organizers call the largest union drive in United States history. LaborPress reports hundreds of thousands of caregivers are moving to organize, a reminder that the fight for a voice at work reaches well past federal service. Read more

Have a question about how any of this affects your job, your schedule or your benefits? 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