VA terminates union contracts, as WH labor actions hit veterans again

• The VA is the first agency to formally terminate union contracts, the agreements between workers and management that guarantee certain benefits and rights in the workplace.

Catch up quick: A White House order this spring that stripped federal workers' bargaining rights was challenged in court by the unions. The administration issued guidance instructing agencies not to cancel any contracts until the case was final.

• A recent appeals court ruling, in Trump's favor, specifically noted that this guidance was in place — and would reduce any potential harm to the unions that could happen while the litigation plays out.

Where it stands: Despite that, VA notified its unions on Wednesday that their contracts were terminated.

• Around 400,000 VA workers across several unions would be affected.

Between the lines: The Trump EO ending unions said the move was for national security reasons.

• Yet, the VA on Wednesday exempted from its action the very workers who would seem to work on security issues.
• The agency's firefighters, police officers and security guards didn't have their union contracts canceled.

By the numbers: Veterans make-up about a quarter of federal employees — compared with just 5% of the overall workforce — partly a result of specific policies that give them preference in hiring.

The VA is the agency with the most veteran employees — about 122,000, per a tally from last year from Pew.

• That was before the White House firing spree. Layoffs have come for thousands of veterans this year; a precise tally is not yet clear.
• The number of veterans filing unemployment claims is rising, though the number is still small, per new data from the Labor Department out Thursday.

The other side: The White House this year has also taken action to help veterans, including an executive order establishing a center to provide care to homeless veterans, and opening new healthcare clinics.

• "President Trump cares deeply about our veterans, and he refuses to accept the VA bureaucracy and bloat that has hindered veterans' ability to receive timely and quality care," says White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly
• Contract termination "is a huge win for veterans," VA press secretary Pete Kasperowicz tells Axios. "Because of this decision, VA staff will spend more time with veterans, VA facilities can focus on treating veterans instead of hosting unions and VA can manage its staff according to veterans' needs, not union demands."

The big picture: Government unions have been a big thorn in the White House's side this year, filing countless lawsuits pushing back on the administration's actions against the federal workforce.

What they're saying: The unions said the order would hurt a majority of the VAs workforce, and was retaliation after the union pushed back on an administration effort to shutter rural VA hospitals and clinics, and its opposition to job cuts that it says would "dismantle veteran health care."

Zoom in: Stripping union rights from VA employees — particularly within its hospitals — will impact the quality of care veterans receive, says Irma Westmoreland. She chairs the National Nurses United, which represents about 16,000 nurses across 23 facilities.

• Through their union contracts, nurses have to be included on decisions around staffing to ensure safety for patients. Contracts stipulate that if you move a nurse from one unit to another, they must be qualified in that different specialty.
• They also protect nurses from retaliation if they speak up about unsafe practices. Now, "we fear they won't be empowered to speak up about conditions that put our patients at risk," says Westmoreland, who is a nurse at a VA hospital in Georgia.

What we're watching: Will other federal agencies follow the VA's lead?