A board that handles federal worker disputes ordered on Wednesday that thousands of Agriculture Department employees who were fired last month must be reinstated in their old positions for at least 45 days.
The fired employees were probationary workers targeted during the Trump administration’s downsizing efforts. Despite their status, agencies must follow rules when firing probationary employees, including documentation of poor performance allegations.
The chair of the Merit Systems Protection Board stated that agencies violating proper personnel practices laws when firing probationary workers prompted the order for reinstatement.
The reinstatement order currently applies to 5,000 to 6,000 probationary Agriculture Department employees fired on Feb. 13.
The Office of Special Counsel may bring similar cases forward to the Merit Systems Protection Board if evidence of other agencies violating personnel laws is produced.
Fired employees have reached out to challenge their terminations, prompting investigations and legal battles against the Trump administration’s actions.
A panel of appellate judges lifted the pause on investigations into probationary employee firings, advancing the cases of those affected by the Trump administration’s downsizing initiatives.
Thousands of probationary workers, including veterans, were fired as agencies interpreted directives to reduce the federal workforce.
The Merit Systems Protection Board’s order sets a positive precedent for investigating and potentially reinstating fired probationary employees from other agencies as well.
The Trump administration’s focus on firing probationary employees as part of job-cutting efforts was criticized as targeting “low-hanging fruit” by experts in federal workforce practices.
The handling of probationary worker terminations was deemed clumsy and error-prone, highlighting mistakes made in the downsizing process.