FEDweek

Many Thousands More Fired Probationary Employees Ordered Reinstated A federal judge has ordered the reinstatement of many thousands of probationary employees fired by the Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Interior, Energy, Defense, and Treasury departments, in an expansion of an earlier ruling holding that OPM had ordered the firings despite having no authority to do so. The bench ruling by District Judge William Alsup of the U.S. District Court for Northern California?is the latest in a series of rulings against the firings, which are in the tens of thousands government-wide. He earlier had ordered a pause in further layoffs at two of those departments—DoD and VA—and at several other agencies, but his new ruling from the bench Thursday (March 13) goes beyond that pause by ordering employees returned to their jobs. Link in comments ?? Image: Evgenia Parajanian/Shutterstock.com

OMB, OPM Lay Out Goals, Procedures for Agency ‘RIF and Reorganization Plans’ Following are the sections of a joint OMB-OPM memo telling agencies to produce “RIF and Reorganization Plans” describing the goal those plans are to achieve and the procedures for carrying them out. II. Principles to Inform ARRPs ARRPs should seek to achieve the following: 1. Better service for the American people; 2. Increased productivity; 3. A significant reduction in the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) positions by eliminating positions that are not required; 4. A reduced real property footprint; and 5. Reduced budget topline. Story continues ?? ?? link in comments...

Court Order Enforces Pause on Probationary Employee Layoffs at Six Agencies; OPM Rewrites Memo That Started the Process UPDATED: A federal judge in California has followed a bench ruling of last Friday (February 28) with a written order pausing further layoffs of probationary employees in six agencies, with OPM meanwhile rewriting its memo to agencies in January that started the process, to deny that it ordered the firings of what has become tens of thousands government-wide. (The order blocks the firing of thousands of DoD employees for now.) Link in comments ?? The written order from U.S. District Judge William Alsup issues a temporary restraining order against further firings of probationary employees at NPS, BLM, VA, DOD, SBA, and FWS—the six agencies named in a suit by the AFGE, several other unions and several advocacy groups. (Image: Mark Van Scyoc/Shutterstock.com) Story continues >

Windfall: Payments Begin Ahead of Schedule Following GPO-WEP Repeal The SSA has said that it has begun recalculating benefits for federal retirees and others who had been affected by the government pension offset and windfall elimination provisions, with many to receive a one-time retroactive payment by the end of March and higher ongoing benefits beginning with those paid in April. *Link below ?? “This retroactive payment will cover the increase in their benefit amount back to January 2024, the month when WEP and GPO no longer apply. Social Security benefits are paid one month behind. Most affected beneficiaries will begin receiving their new monthly benefit amount in April 2025 (for their March 2025 benefit),” the SSA said.

DoD Projects Civilian Employment Cut of 5-8 Percent The Defense Department has said it expects to cut its civilian employment by between 5 and 8 percent, which would translate into about 38,000-62,000 jobs in the government’s largest department. *Link in comments ?? That is to begin with the layoffs of about 5,400 probationary employees this week “after which we will implement a hiring freeze while we conduct a further analysis of our personnel needs,” said a?statement?from Darin Selnick, performing the duties of under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness. The statement came in the wake of a?video?posting?from DoD secretary Pete Hegseth who spoke of the reduction in terms of improving efficiency by culling out under-performers.

Start Planning for ‘Large-Scale’ RIFs, Trump Tells Agencies President Trump late Tuesday told agencies to “promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force” and that they generally will be allowed to fill only one position for every four vacated by normal attrition. “All offices that perform functions not mandated by statute or other law shall be prioritized in the RIFs, including all agency diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives; all agency initiatives, components, or operations that my Administration suspends or closes; and all components and employees performing functions not mandated by statute or other law who are not typically designated as essential during a lapse in appropriations as provided in the Agency Contingency Plans on the Office of Management and Budget website,” says the?executive order. Link below ??

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Judge Allows Deferred Resignation Program to Proceed Updated: A federal judge in Massachusetts on Wednesday declined to extend the temporary restraining order placed on OPM’s deferred resignation program. U.S. District Judge George A. O’Toole Jr. said at the hearing on Monday that the temporary restraining order he imposed last week would continue until he could resolve the issues presented, without giving a timeline. However, rather than address the program’s legality, he concluded that the Court lacked jurisdiction, and that the plaintiffs – several federal employees unions – lacked standing to sue. Link in comments below ??

Contemplating Deferred Resignation? Key Considerations for Federal Employees On Jan. 28, 2025, nearly 2.2 million federal employees received a notification from OPM with an offer of “deferred resignation” from the federal government. A federal judge has ordered the deadline for acceptance to be extended indefinitely - pending further review. OPM insists the program remains valid and open to opting in, while challenges to the program's legality continue. As a federal employee considering the deferred resignation program, you should evaluate several key factors before making any decisions. Here are some critical considerations. [Link in comments ?? ]

Agencies Asked for Lists of Employees Rated below ‘Fully Successful’ OPM has told agencies to compile and send to it a list of their employees who have received a performance rating below “fully successful” in the last three years and to describe what steps have been taken regarding them. The requirement to provide that information by March 7 is part of a memo on chcoc.gov on “developing new performance metrics for evaluating the federal workforce that aligns with the priorities and standards” of several Trump administration executive orders. “All agencies should submit data regarding their performance management plans and policies—including those contained in collective bargaining agreements— and identify any barriers to ensuring that 1) agency performance plans make meaningful distinctions based on relative employee performance and 2) the agency has the ability to swiftly terminate poor performing employees who cannot or will not improve,” it says. Continues: https://lnkd.in/e4sRB5fU