A US District Judge has ordered six federal agencies to immediately reinstate probationary employees who were dismissed last month as part of the Trump administration’s effort to reduce the federal workforce.
Judge William Alsup issued a preliminary injunction requiring the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior, and Treasury to rehire the affected employees. He indicated that the ruling could be expanded to include other agencies in the future.
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Alsup, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton, ruled that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) unlawfully directed agencies to terminate probationary employees, who typically have less than a year on the job. He dismissed the Justice Department’s argument that OPM had only provided “guidance” rather than a direct mandate for the layoffs.
“The court finds that the Office of Personnel Management did direct all agencies to terminate probationary employees with the exception of mission-critical employees,” Alsup stated in his ruling.
(ABC News)
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