Dear Members,
 
I’m pleased to report that the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) has granted a 45-day stay (i.e., pause) in connection with the unlawful firings of six probationary employees. Keep reading to find out how you can join the next phase of this case.
 
In a member message sent to you on Monday, February 24, I informed you the Office of Special Counsel, the agency responsible for safeguarding the federal merit system, had requested the stay for these six probationary employees, each at different agencies. The agencies named in the case are the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Housing and Urban Development, Education, Energy and Agriculture, and the Office of Personnel Management. 
 
The MSPB has granted the OSC’s stay request for those six employees, finding “reasonable grounds to believe that each of the six agencies engaged in a prohibited personnel practice.” In its decision on the six probationary employees, the MSPB found violations like those raised in NTEU’s Mass Firings lawsuit, including a violation of the government's reduction-in-force procedures.
 
As I mentioned in Monday’s message, NTEU has been in active discussions with Democracy Forward, one of the groups bringing this case, about ways that employees in NTEU-represented units can join the case. The original case was filed on behalf of all probationary employees who have been terminated, with the six employees serving as “class representatives.” The Special Counsel at the OSC is considering how to extend the relief out to a broader group of employees without the need for individual filings at the OSC.
 
If you are a terminated probationary employee, here is how you can join this case: You must fill out this form, which authorizes the Alden Law Group to provide your name and termination notice to the OSC. Be sure to read the information provided on the form carefully.
 
I will keep you informed about this case. In addition, we will send out more information soon regarding other paths – including grievances and the MSPB – that NTEU is working on to challenge the illegal terminations of probationary and temporary employees. The devastating actions of this administration require a multi-pronged strategy and we’re fighting on multiple fronts to maximize our chances for success. Look for separate messages in the coming days with information about grievances and the MSPB.
 
If you have not yet filled out NTEU’s form gathering information from terminated NTEU members, please do so now.