The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) still exists and continues to represent federal workers. AFGE remains active at the national level and at the local level, including right here with AFGE Local 507. Our role as your advocate, resource, and point of contact continues, and we are here to support you, answer questions, and help you navigate workplace issues as they arise.

However, what no longer exists is the formal relationship or labor-management agreement between the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and AFGE. This specific change was initiated by the VA and affects the official structures we previously used to collaborate with management. It alters the formal channels, procedures, and recognition the VA once provided for union–management engagement, but it does not erase AFGE’s existence, our mission, or our commitment to you.

In other words, AFGE remains an active national union, but the VA has ended—for now, its official working relationship with AFGE, meaning the previous agreements, collaboration structures, or bargaining frameworks between the two are no longer in place. In practical terms, this means processes that used to be governed by those agreements will not be acknowledged by the VA in the same way at this moment. It also means we must adjust how we communicate, organize, and escalate issues while we work to restore the formal relationship and the protections that come with it.

For the time being please refer to the Union's as personal representative not Union Reps. (same role, different name). This language shift is about accuracy under the VA’s current stance and helps ensure that employees can continue to name a representative without triggering objections tied to the VA’s withdrawal from formal labor-management recognition. Using “personal representative” keeps your support intact and your access to guidance clear, while we push to reestablish the formal structures.

AFGE is fighting to restore that. We are pursuing every available path to re-secure a formal, recognized framework—advocacy at the national level, legal and administrative avenues as appropriate, and coordinated member engagement to demonstrate that employees expect and dese rve a fair, structured voice at work. While this fight continues, Local 507 will keep advising employees, tracking issues, documenting concerns, and helping you navigate policies so that your rights and wellbeing are protected day to day.

What you can do right now is stay informed and stay connected. When members are aligned on facts, language, and next steps, our collective power grows and we are better positioned to secure a strong, durable agreement. To receive timely updates, guidance, and calls to action from Local 507, text 507 to 95776; this keeps you plugged in, as we work to restore the formal relationship with the VA.