AFGE Local 1661

05/18/2026

Appeals court denies VA’s request to reinstate termination of AFGE NVAC contract pending appeal.

05/01/2026

This is a great article to explain the early stages if the CPL-33 suit. The preliminary injunction hearing was April 30. We are now waiting for the decision of the judge.

04/30/2026

I just got out of the hearing. The judge was sharp and had very good questions for both sides. I think it went well. It will probably take a couple weeks to a month to get a judgement. I am optimistic of a positive outcome after watching. I will keep you all posted if I hear anything.

04/29/2026

Just wanted to share a bit of good news with you this evening. A very short time ago there were two orders issued in our pending case (attached below). Just to recap, there were three motions in front of the judge. 1.) The Agency/DOJ had requested the hearing be dismissed all together. 2.) The Agency/DOJ requested the case be moved to DC if it was not dismissed. 3.) Was our request for a Permilinary Injunction. The motion to dismiss the case was denied, meaning the judge belives there is a basis to hear the case. And the motion to move the case was also denied, meaning the judge feels like he has jurisdiction over the case. This is not THE win, but it is a huge victory in moving our case forward! As of now we are still scheduled for the Permilinary Injunction hearing Thursday. I will keep you updated as best I can. Just know we are doing everything in our power to get this union back to where it belongs...representing our members with a collective bargaining agreement!

All the best,
Brandy

04/12/2026

The hearing will be April 30 at the Federal Courthouse in Hartford CT. I will be attending if anyone else would like to attend, contact me and I will supply you the details.

04/05/2026

03/27/2026

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is the largest federal employee union representing 820,000 federal and D.C. government workers nationwide and overseas.

02/26/2026

Brothers and Sisters,

You’ve probably already seen headlines saying the Ninth Circuit “ruled for Trump” on Executive Order 14251. Let’s slow that down and talk about what actually happened — and what didn’t.

First — What the Court Did
The Ninth Circuit vacated the preliminary injunction.
That means the court removed the temporary block that was stopping the Executive Order from going into effect.

It does NOT mean:
• The unions lost the case.
• The EO was declared lawful.
• Collective bargaining is permanently gone.
This was a decision about a temporary injunction, not the final merits of the case. And that distinction matters.

What the Court Said (In Plain English)
The unions argued the Executive Order was retaliation for filing lawsuits and criticizing the Administration. The court said:
• Even if there were retaliatory comments floating around, the President likely would have issued this order anyway because he claimed national security reasons.
At this stage, the court found the government met its burden under what’s called the “Mt. Healthy” test — basically saying:
• “If we strip away the alleged bad motive, would the same action still have happened?”
The Ninth Circuit said — on this limited record — probably yes. That’s why the injunction was lifted.
What This Means Right Now
• EO 14251 stays in effect.
• Agencies can continue terminating CBAs.
• Bargaining exclusions remain active.
That’s the current reality. No spin. No drama. Just facts.

What This Does NOT Mean

This was not a final trial decision. One of the judges wrote separately to emphasize that reviewing a preliminary injunction is very different from deciding the full case.
• The retaliation claim is still alive.
• The ultra vires (exceeding authority) claim was not decided.
• The case continues in district court.
And the factual record is not finished.
The Hard Truth

This is not a friendly judicial environment when “national security” is invoked. Courts traditionally defer heavily in that space. We all need to understand that. But here’s the bigger truth: Our strength has never been dependent on whether a single judge signs an order in our favor.
It’s been built on:
• Local leadership
• Member engagement
• Contract enforcement
• Organizing
• Showing up
Courts are one lane. Not the only lane.
Where We Go From Here
We stay disciplined. We:
• Document everything.
• Preserve records.
• Protect members.
• Stay organized.
• Prepare for the pendulum to swing back. Because it always does. And when it does, we need to be ready — not starting from scratch.
I won’t insult anyone by pretending this is a win. It’s not. But it’s also not the end of the fight.
If you have questions about how this affects your local specifically — especially VA, DoD, DHS, or Treasury — reach out. You can call me, email me, or work through your assigned NR. Whatever you’re most comfortable with.
We are stronger when we stay steady.
• Not loud.
• Not panicked.
• Not divided.
Steady.

02/20/2026

I hope this update finds you well.

Pay Bill - Our pay bill for a 35% increase is still gaining momentum! Please continue making the calls and sending the emails. We need our congressional leaders to understand the staffing crisis we are in and how the pay is affecting that criss.

Additionally, I have seen that there is a survey going around about convincing the director that a pay increase is needed. I would discourage people from taking part in this survey as most of what is in there or being proposed is not legal. The Director cannot change pay or benefits...only Congress can.

When coming into this position staffing/pay was top on my priority list to address. I feel like this is one of BOP's biggest issues. We (the union) could continue to ask for increased funding, but if we (the agency) does not have staff coming in the door or leaving as soon as they did not have to repay their recruitment incentive, something else had to be done. So I formed a committee, and we have looked at NUMEROUS ways to address the pay with A LOT of bumps and redirections along the way. As such, the legislation introduced is one of only a couple of ways pay can be adjusted legally.

FCI Memphis - The agency made the decision to realign FCI Memphis from the Mid-Atlantic Region to the South Central Region. With that being said, the Council will realign their assignment to the South Central Region as well in order for consistency with how issues are handled by the council.

FERS annuity supplements - Information has been put out about OPM recalculating supplements for individuals whose supplements were incorrectly divided with former spouses and calculations for back pay from those incorrect calculations. If you have a member who is affected or has questions they should reach out to OPM directly at 202-606-0222.

Lawsuit(s) -

AFGE had a status conference on their Preliminary Injunction on January 12th and are currently awaiting a decision from that. Which I am told could take up to a couple of months. Keep in mind, even if the PI is not granted they still have the merits of the case to argue.

CPLs suit is similar in nature. We filed for a PI right before the holidays, so the judge gave the agency until the middle of February to respond, and us until Feb 27th for the rebuttal. The hearing for the PI was scheduled for the middle of March.

However, the DOJ filed several exceptions last Friday. The legal team has reviewed and is assessing the best avenue of approach, but in the meantime the Judge issued an extension of the hearing for the PI until April 20th. While this is not ideal, as we all know everyone in the field is feeling the effects of not having a contract, this is just an extension...not a ruling against or a cancellation of any kind. Also, keep in mind even if we are unsuccessful in winning the PI, we still have the merits of the case to be heard.

There is no sugarcoating of this situation. This is the hardest thing we as unionists have ever had to face! It is absolutely heartbreaking in the field to see the things that are happening with little recourse available for those of us who have always been able to assist and protect our members. But this is the war in which we have been preparing for! This is the reason we have resources for lawsuits, preliminary injunctions and even lobbyists! We have to keep our membership informed, we have to continue to address the issues and concerns we can, and we have to continue to document EVERYTHING!

Keep your head up, try to stay encouraged, reach out when you need help or need to talk!! CPL is here for you and continues to do everything we can to aid in this fight!

Thank you,
Brandy Moore-White

01/25/2026

We urge you to take a moment to support the Federal Correctional Officer Paycheck Protection Act by writing a letter to your congressional representative. This crucial bill aims to adjust the compensation of Federal Corrections Officers to be more commensurate with that of other law enforcement personnel, as they currently receive the lowest pay among government law enforcement agencies. With over 8,000 letters already sent, we encourage you to add your voice to this important issue.

The Bureau of Prisons is at a breaking point—and Congress needs to hear directly from us. Unsafe staffing, mandatory overtime, 16-hour shifts, and exhausted officers have become the norm across the BOP. Officers are leaving at record rates, and recruitment continues to decline. The reason is clear...