Judge finds mass firings of federal probationary workers were probably unlawful

Demonstrators protest layoffs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in front of CDC headquarters in Atlanta this month. A federal judge in San Francisco has found that the mass firings of probationary government employees were likely unlawful, granting temporary relief to a coalition of labor unions and organizations that has sued to stop the Trump administration’s massive dismantling of the federal workforce. U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered the Office of Personnel Management to inform certain federal agencies that it had no authority to order the firings of probationary employees, including at the Department of Defense. “These are rank-and-file workers who joined the federal government to make a difference in their communities, only to be suddenly terminated due to this administration’s disdain for federal employees and desire to privatize their work.” An email seeking comment from the Office of Personnel Management was not immediately returned. Probationary employees say they received a form email There are an estimated 200,000 probationary workers — generally employees who have less than a year on the job — across federal agencies.