FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Matt Dorsey
(202) 550-6987
March 6, 2025
Washington, D.C. – Today, the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE-IAM) is calling for the immediate reinstatement of all unlawfully terminated U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) federal workers. Roughly 3,500 U.S. Forest Service (USFS) probationary employees have been fired by the Trump Administration and Elon Musk’s DOGE in an unwarranted and illegal attack on the civil service.
In late February, the NFFE Forest Service Council filed a mass grievance against the Forest Service on behalf of NFFE members and bargaining unit employees who were fired while on probation, arguing that the agency violated federal laws, government regulations, agency policies, and the NFFE-USFS Master Agreement. The grievance requested the Forest Service rescind all terminations of probationary employees, return those fired to their previous positions with back pay, and to cease and desist from terminating other probationary employees.
On March 5, the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) issued a ruling that probationary employees terminated by the USDA should be reinstated because the agency engaged in prohibited personnel practices and violated federal laws and regulations governing RIFs and probationary terminations. The MSPB issued an order requiring employees to be reinstated for a 45 day period while the board investigates further.
“As NFFE has claimed from the beginning of these mass firings, the actions of the Trump Administration, Elon Musk, and DOGE have been blatantly illegal,” said NFFE National President Randy Erwin. “Indiscriminately firing federal workers and falsely basing those personnel actions on poor performance is not only absurd, but also a violation of federal laws and our union’s Master Agreement with the Forest Service. Now that the MSPB has confirmed these actions are illegal, the USDA and Forest Service must immediately reinstate terminated probationary employees. NFFE will be pursuing similar legal avenues to ensure all probationary federal workers are given their jobs back, and we will continue to defend the civil service from Trump and Musk’s illegal crackdown on the hard-working public servants who make this country great.”