Judge denies union bid to halt Trump firing of government workers
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A federal judge rejected labor unions' request to block the Trump administration's mass firing of probationary employees, stating the court "likely lacks jurisdiction" over the issue.
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A sign outside the Internal Revenue Service building is seen on May 4, 2021, in Washington. (AP)
A US judge on Thursday rejected a union's request to temporarily stop the firing of thousands of federal employees on probationary status, granting US President Donald Trump another legal victory in his efforts to reduce the government workforce.
District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled that he did not have the jurisdiction to address the complaint, which was one of several recently filed in an attempt to halt the mass layoffs.
The ruling comes as approximately 6,700 probationary workers from the 100,000-strong Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are being dismissed.
A former IRS probationary employee who was laid off on Thursday told AFP that she and her colleagues had been instructed to cancel any planned trips, before receiving an email asking them to report to the office with their government IDs and laptops.
The mother of two, in her 40s, who asked to remain anonymous, stated, "This has completely turned people's lives upside down," adding, "There's zero empathy. Maybe they don't really care about this, and they only care about the mission of cost-cutting and such."
The National Treasury Employees Union and four other federal employee unions had requested District Judge Cooper to issue a temporary restraining order to prevent the termination of their probationary members. However, Cooper, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, ruled that his court lacked jurisdiction over the claims, directing the unions to bring their case before the Federal Labor Relations Authority, which handles federal labor disputes.
'Cruel'
Additionally, another federal judge on Wednesday rejected a request to temporarily block the Department of Justice (DOJ) from firing federal employees.
14 Democratic-led states filed a lawsuit last week challenging Musk's legal authority, but District Judge Tanya Chutkan denied their emergency request to halt his actions.
Musk's cost-cutting efforts have faced legal challenges on multiple fronts, resulting in a mix of rulings.
The White House reported that over 75,000 federal employees accepted the buyout offer from the Office of Personnel Management.
One fired IRS worker expressed feeling "between a rock and a hard place" upon receiving the offer, torn between quitting or being fired, adding, "For all of this to happen in such a cruel fashion, it just doesn't make sense to me."
IRS prepares to lay off thousands of workers
Last week, the US Internal Revenue Service was set to lay off thousands of employees, potentially straining the agency’s resources during the crucial tax-filing period, according to two sources familiar with the situation.
The Office of Personnel Management, which oversees federal hiring, directed all agencies to terminate their relatively new probationary employees. These employees lack full job protections.
The precise number of IRS employees facing termination is unclear, but the agency's workforce grew to about 100,000 under former President Joe Biden, including roughly 16,000 probationary workers. Biden had sought to enhance the IRS’s capabilities, particularly in auditing large corporations and wealthy individuals.
According to Reuters, which cited a source familiar with the matter, the layoffs will affect all probationary employees who neither resigned under a recently closed buyout program nor were deemed essential for the ongoing tax season, which is approaching the April 15 federal filing deadline.
