Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
Editorials & Other Articles
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Inside the VA's War on Unions - The American Prospect
When President Trump’s cabinet picks trooped up to Capitol Hill earlier this year for Senate confirmation hearings, hardly any boasted about their past union connections. But Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins did.
He helped win broad bipartisan approval for his nomination from a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) that includes Bernie Sanders (I-VT) by mentioning that he belonged to the United Food and Commercial Workers while working for five years at a Georgia grocery store chain. Said Collins: “I believe that the employees at the VA, whether they’re union or not, are very valuable and I respect that … I get the issue.”
At another point in the hearing, he pledged to “be the biggest cheerleader for every VA employee out there who is getting up every morning, doing it right [and] making sure we are taking care of our veterans.” And during questioning about President Trump’s intention to end remote work arrangements at the agency, Collins acknowledged that “a large portion of the VA workforce is unionized and they’re in contracts” so “we’re going to work together to get people back to work.”
Four months later, there’s little evidence of Collins and VA unions working together on anything, including this month’s unilateral termination of all work-from-home positions. Instead, Collins has been an eager implementer of Trump’s attempted cancellation of collective-bargaining rights for most VA union members—on the grounds that they’re engaged in “national security work.”
He helped win broad bipartisan approval for his nomination from a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee (SVAC) that includes Bernie Sanders (I-VT) by mentioning that he belonged to the United Food and Commercial Workers while working for five years at a Georgia grocery store chain. Said Collins: “I believe that the employees at the VA, whether they’re union or not, are very valuable and I respect that … I get the issue.”
At another point in the hearing, he pledged to “be the biggest cheerleader for every VA employee out there who is getting up every morning, doing it right [and] making sure we are taking care of our veterans.” And during questioning about President Trump’s intention to end remote work arrangements at the agency, Collins acknowledged that “a large portion of the VA workforce is unionized and they’re in contracts” so “we’re going to work together to get people back to work.”
Four months later, there’s little evidence of Collins and VA unions working together on anything, including this month’s unilateral termination of all work-from-home positions. Instead, Collins has been an eager implementer of Trump’s attempted cancellation of collective-bargaining rights for most VA union members—on the grounds that they’re engaged in “national security work.”
https://prospect.org/labor/2025-04-30-veterans-affairs-war-on-unions/