AFGE Blasts Secretary Hegseth Move to Terminate AFGE Collective Bargaining Agreements at DOD
April 20, 2026
Categories:DoD, The Insider
AFGE, the largest union representing 300,000 employees at the Department of Defense (DOD), expressed outrage after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appears to have issued a memo directing agencies and components to terminate all collective bargaining agreements between the DOD and AFGE.
This action comes a year after President Trump signed Executive Order (EO) 14251, which illegally stripped over one million federal employees of their union rights citing national security reasons.
Secretary Hegseth’s memo is a continuation of this administration’s unlawful retaliation against AFGE. Hegseth’s action is also an attack on the many veterans who now serve our country through service as civilian DoD employees.
“Secretary Hegseth’s decision to terminate the union rights of hardworking individuals who support our military is a cowardly continuation of this administration’s unlawful attack on federal employees’ first amendment right to belong to a union,” said AFGE National President Everett Kelley, Army veteran with a 30-year career at DOD in a statement. “DOD employees, many of whom are veterans themselves, are the backbone of our military, and taking away their collective voice doesn’t strengthen the mission; it undermines it.
We are reviewing the memo and determining what appropriate action to take. It is important, however, to remember that this memo does not alter the fact that AFGE is still here and will continue to fight for our members and all DoD employees.
If you have not already done so, please ensure that you have transferred all union files off of agency equipment. Please also continue to check www.afge.org/afgestrong for guidance and forward any notices you receive from the agency regarding potential contract terminations to AFGE’s General Counsel Office.
“For 50 years, these employees have exercised their union rights; under several administrations, during a global pandemic, and throughout peacetime and wartime, including our most recent conflict with Iran,” Kelley continued.
“To rip up the union contracts of civilian employees after touting a successful ceasefire in the Middle East, is not only a slap in the face to the employees who supported those efforts but again proves that this action has nothing to do with national security and everything to do with silencing workers’ voices.
“Our union has successfully challenged illegal attempts to strip our members of their union rights by terminating their collective bargaining agreements, and we will continue to do so.”
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