Month: August 2025

Local 1061 and AFGE remain steadfast in our commitment to advocate for and advance both the quality of care our Veterans receive and the working conditions of every VA employee. We are still in the fight, and your continued support is critical to that mission.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve received many questions regarding how to cancel E-Dues. While I hope you will remain a member and continue to support AFGE’s efforts, I want to ensure that members have access to the information they are seeking.

“To request cancellation of your membership, it is best to contact your AFGE Local directly.  Local Presidents and Treasurers can drop membership, where approved, via their MyLocal profile.” for Local 1061 contact info please visit: https://glaunion.com/contact-us-2/

AFGE E-Dues Member FAQ: https://www.afge.org/common-pages/e-dues/e-dues-member-faq/

Direct link to cancel E-Dues: https://joinafge.formstack.com/forms/request_for_termination_of_afge_membership

Our strength comes from solidarity, and I encourage you to stay engaged and united with your fellow members as we face the challenges ahead. Please consider joining at https://join.afge.org/L1061

On Aug 7, at 7:01 PM PST, I received the first official notice that the Department of Veterans Affairs has unilaterally terminated our collective bargaining agreement. The attached “Order to Return to Duty” (issued by VISN 22 leadership) is now the formal directive stripping union representatives of our rights, removing access to union offices, and ending the use of official time.

This action follows Executive Order 14251 and the VA Secretary’s decision to revoke CBAs with AFGE, NAGE, SEIU, NNU, and NFFE—with no regard for the government’s own prior assurances. The administration had testified and pledged that no union rights would be removed until litigation was complete. That promise has now been broken.

Additionally, Secretary Collins’ decision is inconsistent with guidance from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which instructs agencies “not to terminate any CBAs until the conclusion of litigation.” It also runs contrary to recent representations made by the administration in federal court, where they assured the judiciary that union contracts were not being terminated. https://www.afge.org/globalassets/documents/2025-docs/faqs-for-eo14251-exclusions-from-federal-labor-manage.pdf

You can read more about this alarming development in the GovExec article:
🔗 VA Terminates Most of Its Union Contracts

We want to be absolutely clear:
AFGE is still here. We are still your union. We are still fighting.

The decision to dismantle our rights does not eliminate our voice. We are actively pursuing every legal and organizational channel available to challenge this action. But we need your help. If you’re already a member, stay engaged. If you haven’t joined, now is the time.

Our strength is in our solidarity.
Please stay in the fight. Stay in the union.

https://join.afge.org/L1061

In unity and resistance,
Gary Lockem
Union Steward, AFGE Local 1061

Info about TheCivDiv on his YouTube page:

Mission: Educate to give Veterans the power to submit their own claims and/or speak with a VSO intelligently about their claim to ultimately disrupt the market against insane claim consulting companies charging 5x or 6x the increase on future benefits.

About me: My name is Clay Simms and I’m the creator of TheCivDiv. I served in the US Marine Corps for 10 years. 2011 – 2015: Infantry 2015 – 2019: Psychological Operations 2019 – 2021: Reserve PSYOP In 2019 I began my transition after completing a horrendous Transition Readiness Seminar. I used my skill set from PSYOP and IO to land a government contracting position and eventually became Federal employee for the Army.

In 2019 I submitted my first claim with a VSO that I would soon learn did NOT understand the process. That is what started my VA Disability journey to learn the process myself. By helping my friends and reading, a lot of reading, I am now able to share my knowledge and experience with the Veteran community.