A federal judge in California has ordered five federal departments to reinstate probationary employees who were terminated last month under a directive from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
U.S. District Judge William Alsup ruled Thursday that the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense, Energy, Interior, and Treasury must offer reinstatement to all probationary employees fired on or around February 13. The decision follows a call between OPM and federal agency heads, in which they were instructed to terminate these workers.
Alsup condemned the mass firings, stating, “It is a sad day when our government fires employees and claims it was for performance, when they know that’s a lie.” He emphasized that reductions in force must follow legal guidelines.
The judge also ordered that any future terminations must be agency-led and comply with the Civil Service Reform Act and Reduction in Force Act. Agencies must provide a list of fired employees and outline compliance steps.
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