A group of more than 70 House Democrats on Thursday warned Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie that if he moves forward with plans to implement the provisions of three controversial executive orders, he will violate federal labor law.

In October, a federal appeals court lifted an injunction blocking agencies from implementing the provisions of three executive orders signed in May 2018. Those orders seek to shorten the length of performance improvement plans to 30 days, exempt adverse personnel actions from grievance proceedings, streamline collective bargaining negotiations, and significantly reduce the number of work hours and activities union members can spend on official time.

Shortly after the injunction was lifted, the department informed the American Federation of Government Employees that it planned to implement the orders’ provisions, including “recovering” union-used office space, equipment and resources, and ending reimbursement of expenses for employees performing “non-agency” business, among other issues....