Other LanguagesSAN FRANCISCO – The Washington State Attorney General’s Office today joined a lawsuit against the U.S. Office of Personnel Management and other federal agencies over the administration’s damaging and illegal efforts to fire federal employees en masse.
President Trump has engaged in all-out assault on public service since taking office, arbitrarily firing thousands of workers providing critical services to American communities and pledging to fire thousands more under false claims of performance issues. The firings have reached workers with excellent performance records and some with many years (or even decades) of federal service, including those newly promoted to supervisory or management positions.
There are more than 12 million acres of federal land in Washington, managed by agencies thrown into chaos by these labor cuts. These illegal actions damage Washingtonians across a spectrum of needs – including the reliability of the state’s energy supply, wildfire and forest management, services to veterans, and supports for small businesses.
Washington has about 76,000 federal employees, according to the state Employment Security Department. Based on information collected, the state believes at least 1,000 Washingtonians have lost their public service jobs through the president’s illegal actions and expects this number to rise if the illegality is not stopped.
“Many of the president’s power grabs have this problem in common – they’re illegal,” Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown said. “These firings don’t save the public a dime, but they do make government less responsive, particularly in the communities across the nation where these employees live and serve.”
The lawsuit, initially filed in Northern California on behalf of a coalition of labor groups and other impacted organizations, has already resulted in a temporary restraining order.
The judge’s Feb. 27 order states the administration’s actions were likely illegal, directing the federal Office of Personnel Management to rescind its instruction to agencies to fire virtually all probationary employees.
The original plaintiffs include the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE); American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME); Main Street Alliance; the Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks; Common Defense Civic Engagement; the Western Watersheds Project; AFGE Local 1216; AFGE Local 2110; VoteVets; and United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP).
-30-
Washington’s Attorney General serves the people and the state of Washington. As the state’s largest law firm, the Attorney General’s Office provides legal representation to every state agency, board, and commission in Washington. Additionally, the Office serves the people directly by enforcing consumer protection, civil rights, and environmental protection laws. The Office also prosecutes elder abuse, Medicaid fraud, and handles sexually violent predator cases in 38 of Washington’s 39 counties. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.
Media Contact:
Email: press@atg.wa.gov
Phone: (360) 753-2727
General contacts: Click here