By Associated Press’s Jeanie Har
SAN FRANCISCO A coalition of labor unions and groups that have filed to halt the Trump administration’s large reduction of the federal workforce was granted some temporary reprieve Thursday when a federal judge in San Francisco determined that the mass terminations of probationary employees were probably illegal.
The Office of Personnel Management was directed by U.S. District Judge William Alsup to notify the Department of Defense and other federal agencies that it lacked the power to order the termination of probationary employees.
According to him, OPM is not authorized by any law in the universe’s history to hire or fire anyone other than its own staff.
In a complaint the coalition filed last week, labor unions and organizations requested a temporary restraining order, which Alsup granted.
Trump has criticized the administration’s efforts to drastically reduce the federal workforce as being bloated and careless, and the case from five labor unions and five nonprofit organizations is one of several lawsuits opposing those efforts. His administration is now targeting career officials with civil service protection after firing thousands of probationary employees.
According to the plaintiffs, the Office of Personnel Management lacked the power to fire probationary employees, who typically have less than a year on the job. They further claim that the employees’ poor performance was the basis for the terminations.
Government attorneys claim that rather than ordering the terminations, the Office of Personnel Management requested that agencies assess and decide whether probationary staff members were suitable for ongoing employment. Additionally, they assert that only the best and most important workers should be hired, and probationary staff are not assured jobs.
Across all federal departments, there are an estimated 200,000 probationary employees, who are typically individuals with less than a year of experience. According to the complaint, there are over 15,000 workers in California who offer services ranging from veterans’ care to fire prevention.
Recently, unions have filed identical lawsuits against two other federal judges in an effort to halt the Trump administration’s plan to drastically cut the federal workforce.
A Democrat nominated by President Bill Clinton, Alsup is renowned for his direct communication and has ruled over numerous high-profile cases. He was in charge of Pacific Gas & Electric’s criminal probation and has referred to the biggest utility in the country as a persistent threat to California.
