(The Center Square) – The Department of Veterans Affairs canceled its contracts with most unions on Wednesday, saying the unions fight against the best interests of veterans.

VA said the move follows President Donald Trump's executive order from March to do away with public employee unions at the federal level. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a preliminary injunction Friday that previously stopped 21 agencies from implementing the executive order.

The American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal employee union, objected to the move.

"Secretary Collins' decision to rip up the negotiated union contract for [the] majority of its workforce is another clear example of retaliation against AFGE members for speaking out against the illegal, anti-worker, and anti-veteran policies of this administration," AFGE National President Everett Kelley said.

The federal agency charged with caring for veterans said the move will make it easier for VA leaders to promote high-performing employees and hold poor performers accountable.

In April, VA stopped withholding union dues from most employees' paychecks.

VA leaders notified the unions on Wednesday that their contracts were terminated. This includes employees who belonged to the American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO (AFGE), National Association of Government Employees (NAGE), National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

Trump's executive order exempted public safety employee unions, so employment contracts covering about 4,000 VA police officers, firefighters and security guards represented by unions will remain in place.

VA officials said it was good news for veterans, families, caregivers and survivors. They noted that some union employees worked on union business while on the clock, following previous federal rules.

In 2024 alone, more than 1,900 VA bargaining-unit employees worked more than 750,000 hours on taxpayer-funded union time.

"With no collective bargaining obligations, those hours can now be used to serve Veterans instead of union bosses," the agency said.

It also frees up space. Union representatives are currently using more than 187,000 square feet of VA's office and clinical space.

"This has cost VA millions of dollars in lost rent and expenses for union bosses' government phones and computer equipment," the agency said.

"Too often, unions that represent VA employees fight against the best interests of Veterans while protecting and rewarding bad workers," VA Secretary Doug Collins said. "We're making sure VA resources and employees are singularly focused on the job we were sent here to do: providing top-notch care and service to those who wore the uniform."

Unions are fighting against Trump's executive order in the courts.

Affected employees include nurses, doctors, benefits specialists, housekeepers, electricians, painters, food service workers, lawyers, dentists, pharmacists, crisis responders, mental health specialists, cemetery workers and janitors, Kelley said.

"The real reason Collins wants AFGE out of the VA is because we have successfully fought against disastrous, anti-veteran recommendations from the Asset Infrastructure Review (AIR) Commission which would have shut down several rural VA hospitals and clinics, opposed the Trump administration’s plan dismantle veteran health care through the cutting of 83,000 jobs, and consistently educated the American people about how private, for-profit veteran healthcare is more expensive and results in worse outcomes for veterans," Kelley said. "We don’t apologize for protecting veteran healthcare and will continue to fight for our members and the veterans they care for."

VA officials looked at plans to return to 2019 staffing levels of just under 400,000 employees, but the agency hasn't implemented widespread cuts.

Union officials said Collins' decision went against Office of Personnel Management guidance and was "contrary to recent administration representations in court that union contracts were not being terminated."