The American Federation of Government Employees is denouncing a proposal from Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie that would eviscerate the existing labor contract covering 250,000 employees in the Department of Veterans Affairs and strip workers of their rights and protections. “Secretary Wilkie is making a mockery of the collective bargaining process to do the bidding of President Trump,” American Federation of Government Employees National President J. David Cox Sr. said. “This is all part of the Trump administration’s strategy to force the VA to fail, thereby paving the road to privatization.” The proposal, which the VA submitted to AFGE’s National VA Council late last week, deletes entirely or in part 42 articles in the existing contract. Provisions were removed covering critical issues such as employee training, workplace health and safety, and protection from whistleblower retaliation.