NTEU Fights OPM’s Effort to Make Employees Easier to Fire

Earlier this week, NTEU filed objections to proposed regulations intended to weaken job protections for tens of thousands of federal employees. 

The President issued an Executive Order on Inauguration Day creating a new schedule (or type) of federal employee. Under the Order, employees doing “confidential” or “policy” work could be moved into this new schedule and would be considered by the Administration to be “at-will” employees who could be easily fired.

OPM states that around 50,000 federal employees could be put into this new schedule but notes that this is a “preliminary estimate” and that the President “may move a greater” number of employees.

We immediately filed a lawsuit to stop the Order. That lawsuit is ongoing.

Relatedly, OPM issued proposed regulations to implement this Executive Order. OPM’s proposal would reverse pro-employee regulations issued just last year.

By law, OPM must consider public comments on this proposal before it can be finalized. We submitted comments explaining why OPM’s proposal is unlawful and bad policy. We urged OPM to reverse course and not finalize this proposal.

As explained in a recent E-Bulletin, individuals may also submit comments (including anonymously) by June 7. More information on filing comments can be found here.