A giant, inflatable rat towered over Electric Avenue near Navy Federal Credit Union’s Vienna headquarters on Monday (June 16), staring down commuters during the afternoon rush-hour.
Accompanied by whistle blasts and chants of “union busting” and “Navy Federal, shame on you,” the larger-than-life rodent provided an eye-catching centerpiece for a protest organized by the labor union 32BJ SEIU, which alleges that the world’s largest credit union is undermining its janitorial staff by switching to a non-union contractor.
“If they’re going to lose this job or if they’re going to get their wages lowered because they’re going to go with a non-union company, that means they’re going to have less income to put a roof over their family’s head and provide for their children,” 32BJ SEIU Executive Vice President Jaime Contreras told FFXnow. “These are people who already live paycheck to paycheck, and what Navy Federal is doing is wrong.”
According to the union, Navy Federal will replace its current facility cleaning contractor, the New Jersey-based company IFS, with Stockton Maintenance Group — a non-unionized cleaning service based in West Palm Beach, Florida — starting on July 1.
The move will affect 61 workers who clean offices across the credit union’s sprawling headquarters campus at 820 Follin Lane. The workers are already being asked to re-apply for their jobs, and even if they get rehired, they’ll be expected to work for lower pay and fewer benefits, SEIU says.
Under their contract with IFS, which is a union affiliate of the facility services provider KBS, the workers receive sick days, health insurance and guaranteed raises every year, among other benefits, according to three women who have all worked at Navy Federal’s headquarters for about four years.
The workers say losing the yearly wage increases would be especially challenging, with the cost of rent and basic goods continuing to increase.
“Everything is becoming too expensive,” one woman said through a union official who helped translate.
“We need the union because we need this force behind us, that backs us so that we can keep our jobs, because without our jobs, we have nothing,” another added.
Navy Federal decided to hire Stockton Maintenance Group for cleaning services at its headquarters based on a “thorough review,” a spokesperson said in an emailed statement, though they didn’t comment on SEIU’s concerns about the company’s non-union status.
“Navy Federal Credit Union partners with a diverse range of vendors, include those staffed with a unionized workforce,” the Navy Federal spokesperson said. “The decision to transition our HQ janitorial services to Stockton Maintenance Group, was made after a thorough review of operational needs, service performance, cost and long-term strategic goals. We value all of our partners and appreciate the work of the current provider.”
Stockton declined to comment on SEIU’s concerns, though an employee confirmed that the company is non-union.
Democratic politicians show support for union
Founded in 1933 to provide loans and other financial services to U.S. Navy employees, Navy Federal now serves 14.5 million members from all military branches as well as veterans and their families. It has 367 branches worldwide and employs more than 25,000 people, including 5,200 people at its global headquarters in Vienna.
The member-owned, not-for-profit credit union reported $190.2 billion in assets, including more than $10.8 billion in cash, as of March 31, 2025.
With that kind of money on hand, Del. Irene Shin (D-8), one of several state and local elected officials to attend SEIU’s rally, questioned why Navy Federal isn’t willing to hire a unionized contractor. When she reached out to the credit union, she says she was told that “those losing jobs should explore other opportunities.”
State Sen. Stella Pekarksy (D-36) noted that the union is fighting for a relatively small number of mostly minority workers.
“We’re not talking about thousands of people,” she said, expressing hope that “one day we won’t need protests for employers to do the right thing.”
Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw said he wanted to send the same message to Navy Federal that Fairfax County leaders have sent to private contractor Transdev, which runs the Fairfax Connector and Metro transit systems and has faced multiple strikes in recent years.
“Customers expect you to treat workers with respect and dignity,” he said.
Though their districts don’t include Vienna, Walkinshaw, Pekarsky and Shin are all vying with several other candidates for the Democratic nomination in a special election for Virginia’s next 11th Congressional District representative.
Del. Holly Seibold (D-12) and state Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim (D-37), who represent Vienna in the General Assembly, also spoke at the rally, as did Del. Dan Helmer (D-10).
Providence District Supervisor Dalia Palchik noted that, since the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors allowed collective bargaining in 2021, the county’s police, fire, public school and general government workers have all now unionized — setting an example that she believes other employers should follow.
Navy Federal has also recently faced penalties for charging overdraft fees that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau declared illegal last year and a lawsuit claiming that the credit union discriminates against Black mortgage applicants.
Contreras, a Navy veteran, admitted that he’s currently a member of Navy Federal but is now considering ending his membership.
“We wanted to send a message to Navy Federal that we’re going to be here as long as it takes for these workers’ voices to be heard,” Contreras said. “As a veteran myself, I feel insulted. This is my community, and these are the people I served to protect … If they want bad publicity to come their way, that’s exactly what’s coming.”
