PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Two federal judges have ordered the Trump administration to bring back probationary workers who were fired from at least six government agencies – about 30,000 employees.
The order extends relief to fired workers at the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior and Treasury.
In San Francisco, U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered the reinstatement of tens of thousands of probationary workers, and said the Office of Personnel Management did not have the authority to direct the mass firings and claims firings based on performance, were a lie.
Heather Bright, a single mother and former IRS worker, was let go while on a probation for performance-related reasons despite being three months out from her first performance review.
“There’s no certainty anymore in working with the government,” said Bright. “I’m inclined not to do it, because if they can do it once, who’s to say that they’re not gonna try another loophole?”
Last month around 7,000 IRS workers were laid off, including about 400 in Philadelphia.
National Treasury Employees Union Chapter 71 Executive Vice President Alex Jay Berman said the layoffs have brought about skepticism and fear.
“It’s not just those probationary employees,” said Berman. “It’s the ones left behind who are looking at what was done, and it’s people who don’t work for the federal government, who might have brought their talents.”
In Baltimore, U.S. District Judge James Bredar found that the administration did not follow laws set out for large-scale layoffs, including 60 days’ advance notice. Bredar, an Obama appointee, issued an order to temporarily halt the firings and reinstate the workforce to its pre-layoff state.
Villanova Law Professor Ann Juliano said despite the judges' order, the Trump administration can ultimately get what it wants if it doesn’t carry out the layoffs through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
“It’s not the case that the agencies can’t lay off people; it just didn’t happen the correct way,” said Juliano.