Recently, a board overseeing federal worker disputes decided that nearly 6,000 employees from the Agriculture Department, who were let go last month, need to be reinstated for at least 45 days. This decision follows a troubling trend where probationary employees were targeted in a significant workforce reduction under the Trump administration.
Probationary employees are typically newer hires and have fewer protections compared to those with longer tenure. The administration viewed them as easier to dismiss. Despite this, there are regulations that federal agencies must adhere to when terminating probationary workers, including proper documentation of any alleged performance issues.
Cathy Harris, chair of the Merit Systems Protection Board, stated that there is evidence suggesting that the Agriculture Department may have violated federal personnel laws regarding these dismissals. This ruling currently applies only to those workers fired on February 13.
This board’s order also opens the door for other probationary employees from different agencies who were fired under similar circumstances. If evidence of improper terminations is presented, those workers could also benefit from this ruling.
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United States Politics and Government,Labor and Jobs,Agriculture Department,Merit Systems Protection Board (US),Dellinger, Hampton,Musk, Elon,Trump, Donald J,Cathy Harris
